A Rose in the Revolution
by Hiddles-Stoner1
Summary: Enjolras meets a beautiful woman who feels the same way on political matters and that change is coming swiftly. But will society let them be together?
1. Chapter 1

"You're no longer a child, Marius. I don't doubt you mean it well...but now there is a higher cause! Who cares about your lonely soul, you must focus on the task ahead of you. Ahead of us all!" Marius turned angrily towards Enjolras.

"If you had been there, you would have known how it felt. To suddenly not know what was right and wrong." Enjolras' eyes darkened and he looked away. Suddenly there was a sound and all eyes in the room turned to the stairway where the young Eponine now stood looking around until her eyes fell on Marius. The other men took no notice of her and quickly went back to their drinking and talking merrily as Marius hurried over to her. He whispered something in her ear and she looked at him for a second before leading him back down the stairs. Marius paused and took one last glance at Enjolras who said nothing and only frowned disapprovingly. After a few tense seconds Marius took off down the rickety, cafe stairs after his friend and into the warm night. Enjolras sighed and made his way to one of the tables to sit in an unsteady wooden chair. He's a fool, Enjolras thought to himself. He took a glass from a stack in front of him and poured himself some wine from a half-empty bottle on the adjacent table. The red liquid sparkled in the glass and he found himself remembering a similar night to this one in what seemed so long ago but could only have been a few months or so. He smiled to himself and lifted up his glass, making his own silent toast to one who, he knew, would never share another drink with him again. "To you." He whispered. "And to me."

-One Year Earlier-

"Enjolras!" Courfeyrac walked into the cafe loudly. "In here hiding away again, are we?" Enjolras moved a stack of papers off the table as not to be swept off by the oncoming storm of young men into the small cafe. The day was hot and sticky and the men had all removed their cravats and slung their jackets over the sides of chairs as they moved to the corner where Enjolras was busily working away. "Must you avoid us in here all day?" Courfeyrac laughed clapping Enjolras on the back and propping his feet up on the table. Enjolras' eyes flicked up from the piece he was working on to the papers which his friend had placed his feet upon but chose to say nothing and went on with his work.

"I do not avoid you, Courfeyrac." Enjolras replied, cooly. "I simply want to finish this article before tomorrow and I would prefer to be in the shade then out in the heat of the day and walk around Paris with nothing to do." The other men snorted and looked at one another raising their eyebrows.

"I do not see why you bother, Enjolras." Another man said. "No one reads those pieces." Enjolras frowned at him but continued writing as quickly as ever, trying to not be distracted by their presence. Courfeyrac watched him then leaned back, sighing sadly.

"You are such a bore."

"Do not be ridiculous." Enjolras scoffed still not looking up. Courfeyrac leaned forward, smiling slyly.

"Prove it." He challenged. "Come out with us tomorrow." Enjolras laughed to himself and placed down his quill.

"Why on earth would anyone want to do that?" He asked.

"What have you got to lose?" Courfeyrac asked shrugging. "We shall go around the city and take the girls out shopping. I am sure we will be able to find someone for you to entertain, despite your... engaging conversation skills." He said sarcastically. Enjolras knew he was only winding him up to make him want to prove himself but he allowed himself to be swayed. It had been a while since he had gone for a day out and he had the entire night to finish his article before they would leave in the morning. The others watched him thinking on the edge of their seats.

"Very well." Enjolras replied. "I shall meet you downstairs in the morning." The men cheered and clapped him on the back. Courfeyrac smiled.

"I knew even you were not too boring to refuse a beautiful lady." He winked then turned to another one of the men. "Did not Marie mention that she had a friend in town?" He asked and the man nodded.

"I can ask Analise to bring her along. She doesn't know what to expect of the local men so maybe, if none of us speak to her, she may think Enjolras here is wonderful find." The others burst out laughing but Enjolras only picked up his quill again and continued scribbling. I know I'm going to regret that, he thought as the other prepared to leave, I just know it.


	2. Chapter 2

"Come on! We will be late if we wait any longer!"

"Are you sure about this?" Isabelle asked as she climbed into the carriage with her two friends.

"Of course!" Marie replied, pulling her in.

"We have to accustom you to the ways of Paris." Analise cut in, smiling giddily, climbing on after Isabelle.

"I just don't like the idea of lying to my Uncle." Isabelle said guiltily looking back at the large house they had come from.

"You did not lie, Belle!" Marie said brushing a light brown curl out of her face and emphasizing every word. "You are coming out with us...we are just meeting a few more people." She smiled innocently.

"At an absolutely, innocent place." Analise added patting Isabelle's knee reassuringly.

"Oh, well." Isabelle thought out loud biting her lip. "If you put it that way... I suppose that is perfectly fine!" She laughed with the other two and looked out the window and the sunny sky. She was glad once again to be back in Paris, she had been longing to come back for a while now. She had been enrolled in a school in Switzerland and then in a boarding school in London for the past few years and was only now was coming back to her aunt and uncle who had agreed to take her in until she was happily married and with a family of her own. As soon as she had heard about her moving, she had contacted Marie and Analise and, sure enough, they had been there waiting for her as soon as the carriage pulled up. They had then proceeded to try and convince her to come out with them to meet up with some of their male acquaintances that next day. She had given into the pressure although she hadn't really wanted to. She was still tired from her traveling the day before but she was eager for a day out in the city.

"I am so glad you are not a bore." Marie smiled leaning back on her seat. "I would just die if you were as boring as the other girls in Paris." Isabelle smiled at her and looked down at herself once again. She was wearing her favorite summer dress which her two friends had picked out but she still wasn't sure about it.

"Are you sure this dress is appropriate." Analise nodded eagerly. "Oh yes! You look perfect." They passed a few minutes in silence then Isabelle asked the question that had been bothering her since they had left. "So, tell me again where exactly we are going..." Isabelle asked looking between them. They smiled secretly at each other and then back to her, trying to cover it.

"You will see." Analise looked out the window. "We are almost there. I know you will just love it!" Marie replied. As if on cue, the carriage stopped a few seconds later and Marie and Analise looked at each other as if about to burst with excitement. They scrambled over each other and fought to get to the door and before Isabelle could even ask what was happening. As soon as the door was open, Marie and Analise were down the steps and moving quickly towards a small group of men who were waiting a few paces away. From inside the carriage Isabelle could hear them all talking loudly and laughing about something or other and she sighed. Don't wait for me, she thought to herself. She sighed, feeling rather confused and helped herself out the carriage to see a her two friends surrounded by a group of three men. The sun was high overhead and Isabelle smiled to herself soaking in the warmth. She made her way slowly over to the group of people, taking in all the sights before she reached them. They had arrived next to the river and there we other groups of people down by the river and walking along the paths close to where they had arrived.

Two of the men in the group had their arms ensnared by one of her two friends and as she approached them, they all turned to see her. She smiled nervously and studied all of their faces, not recognizing any of them... but then how would she? She had the feeling they had just been talking about her and she swallowed uneasily looking at them all.

"Courfeyrac," Marie said smiling at Isabelle and talking to the man next to her. "This is my good friend, Isabelle. She just moved here from London." Isabelle nodded politely to each one as she was introduced and they in turn removed their hats and smiled in return.

"An honour, mademoiselle." Courfeyrac nodded. His voice was low and soft as he turned to his friends.

"This," He said gesturing to the one in Analise's clutches, "...is Grantaire." The man took her hand and kissed it,

"Enchante." He smiled and Analise pulled him back glowering at him.

"And then this..." Courfeyrac turned behind him to the last man as if an after thought. "Is my good friend, Enjolras." Isabelle turned to him and scanned his face quickly, unfortunately only catching a quick look before Marie took her free arm and grabbed Isabelle's, forcing her to walk beside herself and Courfeyrac.

"England must have been quite a change, mademoiselle." Courfeyrac began, beginning polite conversation as they began walking beside the edge of the river "It must feel nice to be back on French soil." Isabelle nodded, smiling at him politely.

"It does feel nice to be in Paris again." He opened his mouth to say something else but Marie cut him off with something about English fashion which Isabelle was supposed to know just everything about and he didn't have the chance to say anything. By the way he acted, Isabelle guessed this happened a lot.

And so the warm day drew on. It mostly consisted with a lot of walking around the city, sightseeing and talking. It wasn't this which Isabelle minded, in fact she enjoyed being able to get out and see the sights Paris with... interesting company. She was never without anyone to talk to and she enjoyed being able to catch up with her friends after so many years of being apart. You could only write so much in a letter. In fact, the thing that bothered her most was that every shop they came to, they were all forced to stop so that Marie and Analise could shop for at least an hour then have either Courfeyrac or Grantaire buy everything they found for them. During this time, Isabelle stayed out of their way as not to be pressured into buying something she didn't even want and it was during these times that she noticed the third friend, Enjolras she thought she remembered his name being. He stayed towards the back of the party and seemed to pay little attention to what was going on. He walked around the city in a daze as if he had something much more important on his mind and whenever they stopped or someone called his name, he would look up as if just then remembering where he was the being disappointed about it. She couldn't blame him. She was regretting coming out herself. Finally, when the sun began finally going down the party began moving back towards the river. The night couldn't come too soon In Isabelle's mind for she was eager to be out of the sun and home once again.

"Should we not be getting back? It is getting dark after all." Isabelle asked Marie who only smiled slyly and shook her head.

"Oh no, it is far too soon now."

"But..." Isabelle tried but Analise cut her off.

"Trust us!" She said patting Isabelle's arm in a way that didn't make her feel any better at all. "We will get you home soon. We just have one more stop to make." Not another shop please, Isabelle thought to herself. I don't think I can take anymore. But the two young woman lead the rest of the party away from the businesses and instead to the noisier more rowdy side of the town. Isabelle thought there must be a mistake or that they were just passing though but wasn't even able to voice her concerns before being pushed into the doorway of one of the buildings.

The sudden cloud of smoke and loud voices smacked her in the face as she and the others moved into the loud bar. She choked and turned desperately to ask her friends what was going on but they had now moved ahead of her.

"Bartender!" Courfeyrac shouted over the noise. "A drink for all of my friends." Isabelle's eyes widened as Marie pulled her forward to their table and through the crowd of rowdy, drunk men. What is going on? Isabelle thought to herself, in a panicked state.

"I really think I should be getting back!" Isabelle tried to say but her friends just ignored and sat her down at a table.

"Loosen up, Belle!" Marie said leaning over. "Have a drink!" She passed her a glass filled with amber liquid but Isabelle pushed it away. This was insane. She could feel the room spinning around her and the voices were making her head pound. I have to get out of here, she thought to herself. I can't breathe! She stood unsteadily and tried to make her way towards the door.

"I just need a breath of fresh air!" She said in passing towards Anelese as she tried to move away. Enjolras stood to make way for her but she fell and grabbed his arm, her head spinning. "Sorry." She mumbled. "I just need a breath of air." He looked down at her and then around the room.

"Here, I'll help you." He said reluctantly. He couldn't just let her faint on the floor. She looked up at him gratefully and they walked to the door.

This is the stupidest thing I've ever done, Enjolras thought to himself. I allowed myself to be torn away from my work and now I have to help some foolish woman outside because she grabbed my arm. It was the gentlemanly thing to do! One part of him said but the other remained brimming with annoyance. When they got outside she breathed in deeply moving away from the door shakily. He was forced to move with her and stood next to her as she coughed.

"I am dreadfully sorry, Monsieur." She said after she had stopped coughing. "It was all that smoke." He nodded, understanding how she felt and she coughed once again.

"I understand." He moved his arm from under hers and placed them both behind his back. Her eyes narrowed at his action and she sat down on the bench near them. He obviously didn't want to stay there with her so she may as well tell him she didn't need him to be there.

"I am feeling more like myself now. If you should wish to go back in, I so not wish to stop you." She snapped. I will thank you, Enjolras thought to himself but forced himself to stay. He too was feeling rather dizzy from all the smoke and loud voices.

"No, that is perfectly fine. I shall wait until you are ready to go back and feeling better." She put her gloved hands in her lap and looked out on the river.

"It looks beautiful." She nodded towards the river trying to start a conversation. Enjolras looked and shrugged.

"I suppose." He replied, not really looking. What was the woman's obsession with random objects of beauty and seeing them everywhere? He preferred to go through the world logically, and not stop to stare at everything he found pleasing to the eye. She chuckled and looked back towards the noisy, smokey tavern.

"Would you care to walk with me?" She asked moving towards the path. "I would rather stay out here than go back in." Yes, because I have nothing better to do, he thought sourly. He frowned and thought about what had just gone through his head. Exactly. I have nothing better to do. He looked back into the tavern and shook his head disapprovingly. Why had he allowed himself to be persuaded into coming? He was never trusting his two fellow students ever again. He turned back towards the young lady and nodded politely holding out his arm letting her go first.

"Monsieur Courfeyrac told me you were studying law." She began as they walked along slowly. He nodded in a brooding manner. Must she try to make conversation? He asked himself but decided to be polite about it.

"Yes, " He replied. "My father was a lawyer so, naturally, I had to become one too." She smiled and he went on deciding he should seem slightly interested in continuing the conversation. "I also heard you saying something about being in London..." He remembered.

"Yes," She nodded slowly. "I was in school in Switzerland and then in London, as were my fathers wishes."

"It has been sometime since I was London. I was there a few years ago for my studies." He remembered. They walked a few minutes making small talk then lapsed back into silence which gave them both a good amount of time to study one another, something they had been wanting to do since they had started walking. She took quick glances at him but couldn't see much through the dark. She wished she'd gotten a better look when they were first introduced but she couldn't help that now. All she could see was the outline of his face as he walked with his eyes straight ahead of him. He wore expensive but not flashy clothes from what he could see and had blond curly hair which she remembered from the small glance she had gotten. They walked a few more steps in the dark then were suddenly bathed in the warm glow of a lamppost and she caught herself staring at him in surprise. He was just a few inches taller than her with blond hair, blue eyes and a muscular yet slender build. He was very handsome she had to admit and she looked at him for a few more seconds until she realized, awkwardly, that she had been staring at him for the past minute. He trained his blue eyes on her making her blush violently and she moved forward, back into the shadows so he could no longer see her in light hoping he would see the hot flush which had risen to her cheeks. She walked a few steps then turned back to see if he was walking any further. He looked after her, standing where he had been before and chuckled. Women, he thought to himself. So he had seen her. She shifted awkwardly then looked back out towards the river thinking of something to say to bring their thoughts away from her embarrassing moment. Nothing came to mind so they stood in more static silence. They were on a higher point now and she could look down on the river then back along the grassy path to the brightly lit tavern. The night had grown colder and she drew her thin shawl around her regretting her letting her friends pick out what she would wear. It had suited her well for the warmth but did nothing against the wind. Never again, she told herself. How had it gotten so cold? She wondered. A few minutes ago it had been quite comfortable. Enjolras watched her shiver and her sighed in annoyance. Why must I be the only other one here? He wondered to himself.

"Here." He removed his jacket and placed it around her shoulders. Her eyes widened in alarm and she shrugged it off.

"I should be going home." She said backing away from him. Who does he think he is? She thought to herself. The impropriety!

"I can call you you a cab, Mademoiselle." He said moving forward. He knew as well as anyone who had lived in Paris that the city was not safe at night for anyone.

"No thank you!" She called behind her. "I can find my way." She hurried back down the path and past the tavern as he called after her.

"Mademoiselle, it is not safe at this time of night!" He warned but she didn't stop. He shook his head angrily. Foolish girl, he thought. She has no idea what she's getting herself into. He watched her disappear into the night then began walking slowly back along the path deep in thought. One part of him felt guilty about letting her go off by herself, Paris was a dangerous place. She honestly didn't know how dangerous it could be. On the other hand, it was her own fault for going off and not accepting any help. He paused by the bench and crossed his arms. I shouldn't have done that, he told himself again. It was not the proper thing to do. Well, she shouldn't have misunderstood me, he retorted his own mind angrily. It's her own silly fault. He sat on the bench, not wanting to go back into the obnoxious tavern. He ran a hand through his hair sleepily wishing he had never risen to his friend's taunt. I hope nothing happens to her, he thought to himself guiltily as he looked out into the city. "Do not be ridiculous!" He said to himself, standing abruptly. What should I care what happens to her? I did offer to get her cab, he reminded himself. And she refused, he reminded himself and sighed deeply. She's a fool... she's a woman, he reminded himself. What had he expected? He had almost made up his mind not to be bothered about her anymore when he heard the scream. It was close but he couldn't tell exactly where it came from. The voices in the tavern didn't even lull for a second but he looked out towards the city. What if that's her? He thought nervously. Oh, what are the chances in that? One in a million and least. And I wouldn't care anyway! He said half hardheartedly. He moved away from the bench as if to go in the opposite direction but suddenly turned around and began running quickly towards where he thought the scream had come from. This is know I'll regret! He told himself.


	3. Chapter 3

He ran into the city and looked around. "Mademoiselle?!" He called looking around. How on earth am I going to find her? The city was huge with back alleys and narrow, dark streets to make another city and she could have wondered anywhere! He had almost given up looking until he heard another scream for help, not as loud as the first but enough to tell him where to go. He took off down a side street then took an estimated guess on where to go next. He had guessed correctly. Isabelle was cornered against a wall with at least six men closing in on her. They were huge and Enjolras knew his chances of winning a fight against them were slim. Must it come to fighting? He asked himself. He had always seemed to have a skill for words but he didn't think that was going to help him right then. He could just turn and leave but he knew that his honour and his conscience would never be the same if he just walked away. Two of them had clubs, he could see but one had dropped to the floor and he picked it up. From what little else he could see in the almost complete dark, she had left her mark on one of them, a long scratch mark running down the side of the gruff man's face. Enjolras moved forward, staying in the shadows, trying to find a good position. When he chose his spot, he stepped into the only source of light. She didn't see him until he spoke.

"Come gentleman." He said calmly. "Is that any way to treat a lady?" All the men turned and Isabelle looked up. They were large, rough men and Enjolras regretted having saying anything. None of this would have happened if I'd had my wits about me yesterday! He cried inwardly. Why did I allow myself to do something this stupid? Isabelle, on the other hand smiled joyously. She had never been so happy to see anyone in her life. The men around her laughed and dropped all attention of her and instead turned on Enjolras. They all came at him with clubs and fists and there was little he could do. He was outnumbered ridiculously and was knocked down after a few minutes before Isabelle managed to stand and call again for help. One of the men not in the immediate fight turned on her and raised his club. She dodged the first swing and called again but was grazed by the second. The man reached down, about to grab her but then his head snapped up as all sound in the alley was suddenly cut through. The shrill police whistle echoed around the alley and all the men turned to look in the direction it was coming from. All movement in the dark side street stopped a second later and all Enjolras and Isabelle heard after that was the scurrying of the other men's boots on the cobblestones and the dropping of their clubs on the ground. Isabelle helped herself to her feet, using the rocks on the side of the wall she had leaned against to help her and they stood in silence for a few seconds until the running footsteps could no longer be heard and the whistle had moved away. Once she was sure all danger was gone, Isabelle moved awkwardly forward towards Enjolras who dropped his club and looked around.

"Thank you, Monsieur." She said gratefully as he turned to face her resentfully. He had warned her but she had to go get herself cornered and he had had to come rescue her. He wanted to yell at her, to tell her what a fool she was but he bit his tongue and managed to stay silent.

"I do not know what I would have done if you had not come." She said, expecting a reply but he said nothing and just turned towards the main street.

"I will call you a cab now." He said and then moved off towards the road. She bit her lip in frustration and followed him.

"Please Monsieur." She said catching up with him. "Take something for your troubles. Some money or.." She began reaching into her bag but his look silenced her. Money! His head spun. Who does she think I am. Do I look like a beggar? It was her own stupidity that got her there, I am in no need of charity.

"I do not need your money, mademoiselle." He said politely yet coldly. She looked hurt and for a moment he felt sorry for his outburst. It wasn't her fault she had gotten herself cornered. She didn't know yet what to expect from Paris. But only for a moment.

"I had not intention of offending you, Monsieur." She said looking away. They waited awkwardly by the main road but no cabs came for many minutes. She wanted to thank him again but didn't want to seem persistent. "Maybe we should go back to the tavern. Surely our friends will be done soon." She looked across the road to where she could just see the noisy building.

"I doubt it." He replied looking up at the stars. "The night is young and they normally do not leave until the moon is full overhead." She sighed and looked back towards the tavern. So she was expected to wait for a long time. "When I said I would come for a day out, I did not expect any of this to happen." She said quietly, giving a laugh at her stupid choice she had made the day before. He looked back at her. I suppose we're in the same boat, he thought and replied,

"It is not exactly what I had planned either." She looked at him and he could see in the dim light she had tear marks running down her face from fear. It wasn't entirely her fault she had been cornered, he persuaded himself. She is new to the city after. He sighed then managed to give her a small smile then offered her his arm in the customary manner.

They walked back to the tavern and to the bench outside, sitting once again and looking back out to the river. After a few minutes she turned to him.

"I must seem like a fool to you monsieur." She began and he raised his eyebrows. At last, some sense from her, Enjolras thought but said nothing. "I ran off in the middle of the night with no idea of where I was going and got myself cornered. It's lucky you stayed out here to hear my scream. I owe you my life, Monsieur. I will always be in your debt and I must ask your forgiveness for acting like silly child earlier." He looked out to the river once again and was about to reply but was cut off by her gasping. She reached forward and at first Enjolras backed away in puzzlement.

"Your face..." She said. He lifted his hand and felt the side of his head. It was sticky with blood. She opened her small bag and took out her handkerchief. "Here." She said kindly but he still backed up cautiously. She smiled encouragingly. "This should cause no pain." Hesitantly, slowly, he moved forward so she could dab at his face with her handkerchief. "I can only say I'm sorry so many times." She continued sadly after a few seconds. He looked at her face which was truly full of remorse although she wouldn't bring herself to look at him and instead kept her eyes fixed on her work. He sighed irritably.

"Do not worry, Mademoiselle." He replied kindly although he was still slightly annoyed with the fact that her misunderstanding had been the cause of it all. She looked at him joyfully, her eyes lighting up. They were quite beautiful eyes, he thought to himself. When looked at in the right light and... wait. What was he saying? He caught himself and jerked away from her accidentally.

"Sorry." She said putting the handkerchief down. "That should do it but I would see a doctor." She said looking at it closely then laughed softly to herself. An expert are you? Enjolras thought spitefully but then corrected himself. She was trying to make up for her stupidity and he should respect that. Still deep in thought, her next comment caught him off guard. "Your face reminds me of my brothers." She said like an afterthought still looking at him. He touched the side of his face gingerly, the cut still hurting and asked,

"Where is your brother?" She looked away from him and back down at the river.

"He is in prison."She replied and Enjolras frowned.

"I am sorry, mademoiselle." He said politely then asked, "May I ask what happened?" She turned back to him sighing.

"I have heard a number of reasons over the years, but the one which recurs the most is that he was very outspoken about his political ideas. He was quite a bit older than I and I was very young when he was arrested so I do not remember him as much as I would like. All I have is a picture." She smiled sadly. "My family does not wish to talk of him and my uncle burns all the letters he tries to send me." Why am I telling him this? She wondered to herself while talking. I have only known him for a few minutes. Why do I trust him?

"Why would he do such a thing?" Enjolras asked, puzzled at why anyone should do anything like that. She looked him straight in the eyes seriously and replied,

"My uncle believes he disgraced the family." Enjolras straightened up looking at her sternly.

"Do you believe that?" She shrugged.

"He fought for what he believed in. It was a noble cause and it is a shame I could not understand what was going on at the time. But now, after looking back on what he did and putting together bits and pieces I have learned, I think in many ways, he was in the right." She looked back out at the river thoughtfully and Enjolras allowed himself to reveal a surprised smile. He would never have expected it from this young, well-bred woman but she seemed to have the thoughts of a political activist in the making. She appeared to have interesting opinions on those topics which he wrote about and opinions which her friends lacked. He was about to ask her what she thought of the ideas he wrote on but at that very moment, the rest of their party sauntered out of the tavern. They all smelled of drink and their speech came out a drawl.

"Let's be off, Belle, old girl -hiccup-." Marie said moving towards the carriage as Analese waved goodbye to Grantaire who laughed merrily taking a swig from the bottle he was carrying and Isabelle stood.

"Well, until next time if there ever is one." She nodded to Enjolras and the other men outside the tavern. "And thank you again." She whispered to Enjolras keeping her face straight but her eyes shining. He nodded politely and watched her help her friends into the carriage then climb in herself. Once the carriage had trundled away his friends surrounded him.

"I told you we would find someone for you!" Courfeyrac clapped him on the back as Grantaire took another swig.

"Do not talk of absurd ideas." Enjolras replied watching the carriage leave then turning to them. They smelled heavily of drink and seemed to be having problems getting their words out.

"What's zis then?" Grantaire slurred, reaching forward. His eye had fallen on the small handkerchief that lay, forgotten on the bench next to where Enjolras and Isabelle had been a moment before. It was still marked with Enjolras' blood and Grantaire held it up for the whole of Paris to see.

"She must have forgotten it." Enjolras said calmly but the other men turned to each other as if they knew all when, of course, they knew nothing.

"Well," Courfeyrac began looking back towards the city. "I zuppose we should head back. We'll be going out again on Thursday but of course you won't want to join us Enjolras." He was about to fall as he tried to walk but placed an arm around Enjolras' neck and used him to hold his intoxicated body upright. Enjolras helped move them slowly but surely back towards to town where he too could call a cab.

"Will their friend be there?" He asked curiously thinking back to their conversation on the bench. Grantaire shrugged.

"Zuppose zo." He managed to say then poked Enjolras in the chest painfully. "So there is zomethin' going on!" He cried taking another swig from his bottle.

"Like I said before. Nothing of the sort. I believe she may be capable of... intriguing conversation." He said truthfully. The other two snorted and went on drinking and laughing forgetting all about him as he helped them forward. She was an interesting person to talk to, Enjolras thought to himself. He wanted to hear more of her thoughts on the law and the government. Besides he shrugged, she'll need her handkerchief back.


	4. Chapter 4

Finally, Thursday! Isabelle smiled to herself. After coming home late four nights ago, Isabelle's aunt had said it wasn't a good idea to go out for a few days. She had argued against this but her aunt could not be swayed. She had been cooped up in the large house for four whole days and was about to burst. She heard the large clock downstairs chime 11 and she knew she had to hurry. Marie and Analese were coming in half an hour and she had until then to be ready. There was a knock at the door.

"Come in." Isabelle said quickly as she walked to her closet.

"I'm here to help you get ready, miss." The young girl stepped in. Her frightfully common accent ran throughout the room and seemed to echo all around the brightly lit walls.

"Thank you, Sophie." Isabelle replied gratefully. The girl moved to where a dress was lying on the bed and picked it up. Although Sophie was as skinny and scrawny as anything, she was still strong.

"Meeting someone special, miss?" Sophie asked innocently although when Isabelle looked her in the face she took see a faint trace of a smirk. Isabelle would hardly classify Enjolras, if he would be at the meeting place, as special but he was an intriguing person, she believed. If one managed to make conversation with him.

"What makes you think that?" Isabelle asked moving around and picking out some shoes.

"Oh nothing, miss." Sophie shook her head innocently. "Just that you've picked an awful nice dress for going out round the city in and those are some of your best shoes." She went on motioning towards them. Isabelle looked down at the shoes she was holding and saw that Sophie was right, she hadn't even noticed. They were indeed some of her best shoes. Why would she have chosen them? They weren't at all suitable for a lot of walking which she guessed was ahead of her and they were too nice to get muddy or scuffed up.

"Just a small mistake." Isabelle recovered shrugging and putting them back, choosing some more suitable ones. "I must not have been thinking."

"It happens to the best of us, miss." Sophie smiled in her all knowing way putting the nicer dress back and selection another one which matched her shoes. She smiled to herself and helped Isabelle on with her dress. The fabric was light and cool against Isabelle's and really brought out the green in her eyes, Isabelle noticed checking in the mirror. After putting on the dress she slid on her shoes and looked herself over once again. Her dark brown hair had been done up and she now placed her bonnet on it. She had bought it in England and she liked the shape and how it didn't throw a shadow on her face. She turned back towards Sophie and smiled.

"Well?" Sophie nodded approvingly and handed Isabelle her small bag which matched the fabric of her dress. Suddenly the clanging doorbell rang downstairs and she heard Marie calling to her outside her window. "Thank you Sophie!" Isabelle called as she raced past her and down the stairs. When she got halfway she caught herself. What is wrong with me today? She thought to herself. First I pick out the most ridiculous shoes and then I start running down stairs. She rolled her eyes at herself and walked the rest of the way. My mind is not with me today, she thought to herself. She admitted she was excited to be going out, but so would anyone after being cooped up with nothing to do for four days. Analese squealed and ran towards her when Isabelle appeared in the doorway and Isabelle laughed at her enthusiasm.

"Is it truly that bad of a dress?"

"You look to die for!" Analese said giggling and winked. "Enjolras will be pleased." Isabelle rolled her eyes and moved past her.

"Do not be silly." Isabelle wasn't even surprised. She had guessed that after the events of four days ago they would think something had happened as it was inconceivable to them that a man and woman of possible common interests could have conversation together in a totally innocent manner. "I do not think he holds much thought of anything other than his work and besides," She turned back towards her. "It would make no difference to me anyhow." Analese and Marie exchanged meaningful glances behind her back but showed nothing when Isabelle looked at them. They climbed into the carriage and Marie sat back saying,

"You have been so evasive the past few days!" She winked. "You have told us nothing of what happened!" Whose fault is that? Isabelle thought to herself. If it hadn't been for you I could have been able to leave the house for the past few days. She mumbled to herself angrily but instead said,

"There is nothing to tell." She looked out the window. It's true, she said to herself silently, nothing really happened... except him saving my life and I'm most definitely not mentioning that! I don't want to give them any ideas. She shivered. That night still left a cold shiver down her spine. I'd be dead, or worse if he hadn't been there. Marie rolled her eyes.

"You were gone for over an hour!" She cried.

"Spill the secrets!" Analise cut in looking at Marie and nodded. Isabelle turned to them both.

"Nothing happened!" That was mostly true. "We just talked. Can I not have one decent conversation with anyone?" She shrugged. "Sorry to disappoint you." Analise scoffed and looked at Marie who sighed.

"Fine. Keep your secrets. I'll just ask Courfeyrac if what's-his-name told HIM anything." Isabelle shook her head and looked out the window. Good luck with that, Isabelle thought watching the trees glide past as the other two delved into the latest gossip and what new items they were wearing that they had brought last time. I hope he's actually there, Isabelle bit her lip. She wanted to have another conversation with him and hear his thoughts, why else would she go on these absurd trips? She asked herself smiling to herself. Why on earth?

Enjolras went to his draws and pulled them open. It was almost 12 and he had to be on his way if he wasn't going to have to walk to where he was meeting everyone else. He pulled a stack of papers out of his way so he could stand in front of the mirror and tie his cravat. He had spent the last four days writing extensively. Mostly because of his studies and partly so he had an excuse not to talk to Courfeyrac and Grantaire. They would not stop badgering him about Isabelle. Was he not allowed to have a conversation with anyone without being questioned about it? Isabelle was a beautiful woman he supposed but that didn't mean he couldn't get through a logical conversation with her and instead had to, in some way, be attracted to her in some shape or form. He tied a knot in his cravat. There was nothing to tell. They had only talked. That was it. He hoped she was actually there today, so this wouldn't have been for nothing. He wanted to hear more of her thoughts. He kept remembering her face when she was talking about her brother. Her eyes had almost lightened up and... he shook his head. The lack of sleep was going to his head. She seemed to have a relatively good understanding of the government as it was and seemed to be somewhat interested in the subject. He also wanted to ask her some questions on where she stood on different subjects he wrote about. It was always good to have a second opinion and he couldn't rely on Courfeyrac or Grantaire for any help. He sighed in annoyance when he saw he was trying the knots all the wrong way. He untied the tangled mess and pulled it out from around his neck in puzzlement. Why in heavens name had he picked out his best one. He crossed back over to his paper covered draws and put that one away. My hand must had slipped, he thought. Why else would he have done it. I was thinking about other things, he told himself as he picked out another. Suddenly he heard Courfeyrac calling his name from outside his window. Still tying the knots, he ran to his window and waved to let his friend know he was coming. He finally finished tying his cravat and grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair. Still trying to pull his jacket over his arms his ran down the short flights of stairs and out, into the sunlight.

The two carriages carrying their excited passengers arrived almost at exactly the same time. The men's arrived first and they all exited, squinting in the hot sun. They looked around and soon spied the girl's carriage coming down the road. The carriage pulled up and Marie and Analise practically fought to be the first out once again. Marie got there first and was lifted down by Courfeyrac whilst Analise was lifted down by Grantaire. Isabelle poked her head out praying Enjolras was there. Don't make this have all been for nothing! She thought to herself, wishing with all that she had. Enjolras walked slowly forward trying to peer into the carriage. Please, actually let her be here. He thought, although it would be typical for a woman not to show up, he thought to himself. Isabelle peeked her head through the doorway and caught sight of him. A smile broke out over her face as she saw him but she controlled it, trying to act not all that bothered to whether he was there or not. It was ridiculous to be so happy after only meeting him once but she couldn't help it. Enjolras nodded politely and stepped forward to help her down the steps in the gentlemanly manner. He too was happy to see her but gave nothing away on his face. He had only met her once after all and they hadn't truly had a successful conversation yet.

"Thank you." She said and she got both feet on the ground. She pushed a strand of chocolate hair behind her ear and beamed. "I must say," She began. "I was not sure I would see you here, Monsieur." He nodded as they walked towards everyone else.

"I was thinking the same thing about you, Mademoiselle." She opened her mouth to reply but Marie turned to them giggling.

"Do not try and tell me nothing is going on, Belle." She nudged Isabelle's arm. "I can see it all." Isabelle shook her head, there was no point trying to tell her she was wrong. She looked back at Enjolras sheepishly, her cheeks turning a rosy pink.

"I apologize." She apologized turning back to him. "I would be very surprised if Marie let me out of her sight today." She chuckled and Enjolras looked between them and gave a small smile himself.

"I was actually thinking, perhaps we could go somewhere else from the others." He proposed. She raised her eyebrows and turned to him. "I would like to hear your thoughts on a few articles I am in the process of writing. You seem to have a reasonable knowledge of the law and I would like a second opinion. If that is comfortable with you. I believe it would be easier for us to converse if away from the others and in private." She put a hand on her chest and pretended to act shocked when in reality she was delighted he had proposed such an idea.

"I am honoured, Monsieur. You have a yes from me but... I think we have have to slip away unnoticed from the rest of the party." She gestured to the others who were talking and laughing loudly a few steps away. Enjolras nodded.

"That may be wise." How interesting, Isabelle thought to herself. I'd almost had the feeling he resented me after last time. She chuckled silently glancing at Enjolras making sure he didn't see her. She was excited by the idea of talking with him. She hadn't had a logical conversation since she had moved and was longing for someone to talk to who had reasonable thoughts in something that wasn't the latest fashion and men. Isabelle tore herself away from her thoughts to notice that the other couples were moving away. They had met in a large public garden and Isabelle was in awe of all of the colours of the flowers in full bloom. The garden smelled wonderful and she was sure she had never been anywhere more beautiful. She and Enjolras didn't speak for many minutes, he could see she was taking everything in and wanted to enjoy it. He liked watching her face as she saw something new that she found interesting. His friends would tease him if they saw him watching her but he thought of it more of an observation, rather than a staring. A face that other men would call beautiful had little effect on him as he was too busy and preoccupied to think of such things. They were distractions from many other more important things he could be doing. He simply liked watching her smile and he didn't want to interrupt her. They gradually started slowing down then they gave a quick side glance at each other, then diverged from the path and off to the left. Isabelle sighed happily, finally breathing freely.

"Do not misunderstand me, I love Marie and Isabelle, but it is rather nice to get away and talk to someone about something other than the latest fashions and their latest love letters." She laughed and turned to him as he chuckled politely. As much as he too did enjoy the company of his friends, sometimes they could be rather taxing. They walked a few more steps making sure they were out of sight and admiring the garden. When she was sure they were alone Isabelle relaxed and tried to recall past details. "You mentioned certain writings, Monsieur." She began. "What kind of articles do you write?" She asked and he frowned. Was she interested in such subjects or was she simply making conversation? He had no interest in talking with someone who had no thoughts on the topics he should wish to talk about with her. He took all this into account but decided not to worry too much about it.

"About the law mostly." He replied. "I have written certain articles that have been published in the local papers." He continued and her eyes widened.

"That is quite an accomplishment." She praised and he gave a polite chuckle. "Not particularly. I do not find those ones that interesting to research and write. What I am really interested in writing is about the Declaration of Rights of Man and the Citizen and other government affairs." She nodded listening to what he was saying but not really listening at the same time. He got a gleam in his eyes when he talked about subject he was passionate about, she could tell. She enjoyed watching him as he talked, he seemed to forget where he was and become like a child, opening a present. Filled with awe and excitement, although, being himself he didn't let it show too much. If Marie was here she would call what she was doing a sign of love, but she simply enjoyed watching him talk. There was nothing else to it. He was an interesting individual. Handsome, yes but that didn't come into how she felt about him. She enjoyed talking to him and hoped they would get into philosophical conversations which she knew he was capable of and that she couldn't have with anyone else she knew.

"Have you many articles on them?" She asked. They were walking through a small pathway with grass under their feet and tall bushes on each side. If she listened carefully, she could hear her friends voices on the other side but the hedges blocked them out very well.

"Not as many as I would like." He sighed and a tone of annoyance crept into his voice. "The people who I have sent those articles seem to think I am too outspoken against certain people in positions of great power. The people in this city are too afraid to let their opinions be known." She raised her eyebrows and nodded understandingly.

"But not you." She said, quietly, her eyes twinkling at him. He frowned walking with his hands clenched angrily behind his back. Why was he telling her this? He knew almost nothing about her and yet she seemed to have a certain presence that made her feel trustworthy. They came across a bench and sat on the wooden surface. "I would tell you to be careful, monsieur." She said making herself comfortable on the bench and taking her fan out from her bag. The sun was high overhead and both individuals were feeling dizzy under the full heat of the sun. "But I think you know that." He sighed sitting down himself. The bench was small so they were forced to sit near to each other. "You fight the same fight my brother did, I believe." She said sitting back and watching the butterflies move throughout the flower branches.

"I believe in the rights of man." He replied as he squinted in the sun. "And I believe there are many in our government who don't do their job of allowing us our rights and supporting the 'common man.' So, yes." He decided. "I suppose your brother and I fought for the same ideals." He turned his head up towards the sky and she watched him, frowning worriedly.

"I think...that if I had known my brother...he would have been a lot like you." She looked down sadly and he turned back towards her.

"You must be very proud of you brother." He said. I would be proud to know such a man, Enjolras thought.

"Oh yes, I am very proud." She nodded enthusiastically. "Although I do not believe I could muster the courage to do half the things he managed." She smiled sadly, looking down at her feet.

"What was his name, if you do not mind me asking." He said softly. She looked back up at him, happiness creeping back into her smile.

"Oh no. I enjoy talking about him and his ideas. They seem to bring him back to me and it's a nice way for me to remember him." She sighed proudly, feeling content. "His name was Philippe. Philippe Martin." She laughed. "A fitting name, do you not think?" He thought about it then smiled. "A name derived from the god of war," He nodded kindly. "A very fitting name for a man who seems to be a great one." She beamed at him. "I am glad you think so." They sat in silence for a few more minutes. I do not believe I've ever met his equal, she thought taking sideways glances at him.

He cleared his throat and she turned back towards him waiting for his question.

"I asked you before whether you agreed with your brothers fight." He said looking at the ground, which was covered in moss and grass. "I never did get a straight answer. I was wondering if..." She made a noise like she was about to say something but then thought better of it. She lifted her hand then put it back on her lap drumming her fingers. His gaze turned back to her, waiting for her to talk. She put her hand on the side of her head nervously, twisting a curl of her hair around her finger. I wish she would just speak, Enjolras thought. Instead of wasting time.

"I told you how my uncle believed my brother shamed the family." She swallowed. "After that, my uncle tried to hide everything from me that could persuade me otherwise. Burning the letters he sent me, locking his room and making sure I had nothing that could change my mind from the ideas he put there." She fanned herself angrily and Enjolras could see a new gleam in her eye. "But, naturally, I was not going to just sit and tamely submit." She looked at him square in the face and continued, more serious than he had ever seen anyone be. "My uncle would send me out on the street for saying this but...I..." She swallowed nervously, about to take a great risk. Should I tell him? She thought to herself. If anyone else knew and then my uncle found out, she shuddered at the thought. But she felt like she could trust Enjolras, even after this short period of knowing him. "I agree with you." She blurted quickly then looked around. There was no one coming. He followed his gaze then looked back when he heard her laugh. "I never thought I would tell anyone that but... I agree with you. All the way." He shifted his head to the side and she sighed whilst leaning back. "It feels good to get that off my chest." She fanned herself gladly and looked back towards the path. "Shall we move on?" He sat for a minute, still taking in what she had said then lept up.

"Um... yes." He replied as she breathed in deeply and smiled nervously at him.

"Well, Monsieur." She watched him thinking. "Now you know my secret. I must swear you to secrecy." She said with mock austere. They walked a few more steps stopping every so often to study the flowers or the other life teeming around them. "It started a few years ago." She said suddenly but answering the question she was guessing Enjolras was thinking judging by the look on his face. "After he had finished saying something about the ragamuffins teeming the streets and living off the pestilence of their foolish revolutionary thoughts." He turned to her, a puzzled look on his face. "His words not mine." She smiled and he gave an amused laughed himself.

"I do not think I have heard a description quite like it. I will give your uncle that. No wonder you have been able to remember it perfectly." Enjolras shook his head and gave an amused smile.

"I said I did not understand why he should look down on them and not try to help them. After all," She grinned. "Men are born and remain free and equal in rights." He nodded. "The Declaration." She bent to sniff one of the flowers. "I read them last year. In secret naturally. It is not common reading for young women my age."

"Ahh." He nodded in agreement. The more they talked, the more fond he became of this young woman. You would never expect any of this looking at her, but she was a risk taker and a firm believer in the same ideals he fought for. For that, he respected her greatly. He had never met her equal. She turned back towards him.

"Well, you have heard my story now. What about you? You said you study law but what do you do when you are not wrapped up in books and lawyering." He paused for a second, thinking hard.

"Well..." He puffed trying the think as she forced herself not to giggle. Courfeyrac had mentioned how reclusive he was but she had wanted to ask him about it himself. "I write." He replied finally looking back at her as if this was all the answer she needed. She nodded still trying not to laugh and they proceeded to stop once again by the biggest flower bush they had seen. There were bees and butterflies going in and out through all of the stems, weaving unique patterns in the air.

"Oh," She remembered something out of blue as if she had been struck by lightening. "On the subject of writing," She looked back at him. "I read this wonderful article in the paper last week." He raised his eyebrows in interest.

"Which paper?" He asked watching her as she turned back to the flowers. He wasn't a botanist and couldn't tell what sort of flowers they were but they were nice, he admitted. It was a large collage of flowers, red roses, he recognized and then some sort of smaller blue and white flowers.

"The local one." She smelled the roses. "They are beautiful are they not?" She said, mostly to herself but then moved on. "Yes, this article." She continued. "It was wonderful. I agreed with everything the author had to say. His name was...was.." She frowned, concentrating. "Oh, something Blanc, I believe. I think he may have written in other papers." She looked up at him. "Do you know of him." He smiled.

"I believe so. He is rather interesting." He said. Yes, he knew him and he had read the article. Many times. In fact, he had written it.

"I would give anything to meet him." She said and his eyes widened as she went on. "I think it's the best I have ever read. I thought it was incredible. I cannot believe I did not mention it before." She turned back to the rose bush and sighed. "I have never seen anything of yours." She frowned. "Not that I can recall." She tried to think back.

"I write under a different name." He explained watching the sky. The sun had reached it's peak and was now beginning to set once again. Soon it would be time to leave and yet it was still hot.

"Oh really?" She turned excitedly. "How exciting! What is it?" He leaned back and raised his eyebrows.

"If I told you that, it would defeat the purpose." The whole point of a pen name is to hide the identity of the author, he thought to himself. She snorted.

"Very well then." She turned back on her heel, her dark brown curls bouncing behind her. "Keep your secrets. Although, I did already reveal mine." She looked back over her shoulder, pretending to feel angry. He knew what she was doing and narrowed his eyes irritably for a moment but then decided to let it pass.

"Well, if you really must know..." He shook his head and she turned around beaming and he chuckled incredulously. "You have already been told it." Naturally, he said silently. You would have thought she'd have guessed it by now. She thought for a minute and he waited for her to catch on. Suddenly her eyes opened in excitement.

"You are..." He nodded and she laughed, covering her mouth with her gloved hands. "Oh! I should have guessed." Yes, you should have, the thought for a moment but let the thought move on. He was having a pleasant time with an intelligent, young woman. He shouldn't let sour thoughts plague his mind. She laughed gleefully. She looked back at the bush and placed her fingers around one of the roses, and began circling the petals. "I have always wanted my own garden, just like this one." She said thoughtfully, looking around at the tall hedges. "I have always loved roses."

"Here," Enjolras thought for a second and then took a small knife from his back pocket and reached over. He took a rose gently by it's stem and cut it carefully. He put the knife away and handed it to her. She stood close to him and smelled it, looking up at him smiling. She was beautiful when she smiled, he thought. He had did admit. And she smiled a lot he realized.

"Thank you Monsieur." Her eyes twinkled. "Should we be off?" She wondered looking back the way they had come the up at the sky. He turned himself and looked back.

"I suppose so. How long have we been gone?" She shook her head and shrugged.

"I cannot recall the exact time. I have been having such a wonderful time." She looked back at him, positively glowing. He shot her a small smile and held out his arm and she linked hers through it.

"Well, Mousnier Blanc," She twirled her red rose in her fingers. "Lead the way."


	5. Chapter 5

"Good day, miss?" Sophie picked Isabelle's shoes up from the floor and put them back in the closet as Isabelle lay back in the bed, eyes closed peacefully.

"Yes Sophie." She propped herself up one elbow. "It was wonderful." Sophie eyed her, smiling to herself and closing the doors to the closet.

"Will you be going out again tomorrow?" Sophie asked now folding the dress that was on the end of the bed and putting it away.

"Not again until next week." Isabelle fell back onto her pillows, a sad expression on her face.

"Oh that is a shame, miss." Sophie said now stoking her fire. Isabelle turned towards her.

"Why is that?" Isabelle asked.

"Oh nothing miss, I just know you enjoy the company of one certain gentleman." Isabelle turned to her and frowned. She had no idea where Sophie got her information but she always seemed to know everything that was going on.

"I do not know who you're referring to, Sophie." Isabelle went on leaning back, trying not to give anything away in her voice.

"I'm sorry, miss." Sophie went to the door, preparing to leave. "My mistake. Goodnight, miss." The door closed behind her and Isabelle listened to her walking quietly down the stairs. Isabelle slid down under the blankets making herself comfortable. She sighed happily and looked at her bedside table. On top of the various books and documents were the local papers from the last few weeks. She had only found one other article by Enjolras and she had found it fascinating. He had a wonderful way of putting his thoughts onto the paper. She agreed with everything he had said, it was incredible. She smiled remembering their conversations in the gardens. She didn't think she had ever had a more enjoyable conversation in more enjoyable company. She twirled some of her long brown hair around her finger, looking at the object that was lying on top of the paper. Her beautiful, red rose he had cut for her was laying on top of the pile. It looked black in the darkness of the night but she still remembered it's royal colour in the gardens in the heat of the day. She stretched her arms around and hugged the closest ones of her pillows, keeping it close to her chest. She yawned and closed her eyes. These had been the happiest days of her life, she wondered if they could get any better.

Enjolras stood, leaning against the doorway. After the day of being in the gardens, Courfeyrac and Grantaire had decided to go out to the tavern again and drink their money away. Enjolras stood, watching out at the river. Where everything had begun. He would never have guessed that him coming out that one time and meeting one new person would have lead to conversations about politics, writings, the government...he crossed his arms and chuckled to himself. Things had escalated so quickly, it was hard to believe it himself. He could hear Courfeyrac with Grantaire laughing and drinking with others behind him but he preferred to stand and watch the night silently. He breathed in deeply, filling his lungs with the chilly night air.

"Here," Courfeyrac appeared next to him, holding out a green, glass bottle. "Have a drink." Enjolras looked at him then down at the bottle. He took it and raised it.

"Cheers." They said in unison, chinking the bottles together then taking a swig together. Both then leaned against the separate door posts watching the river.

"So, where did you disappear off to today?" Enjolras smiled looking down at his bottle then out to the river.

"Does it matter?" He shrugged taking another swig from his bottle.

"Fine then. I suppose your conversation would have bored anyone else anyway. What did you talk about? Politics I suppose. You couldn't carry on a conversation so long about anything else." Courfeyrac smirked at him as Enjolras just chuckled.

"She is fascinating." He looked back at Courfeyrac, the look on his face telling him there was nothing else to it.

"And beautiful, if you don't mind me saying so." Courfeyrac put his hands up in mock protection, still holding the bottle and backing away. Enjolras shrugged and turned back to the night and the river.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

"Ahh, I forgot." Courfeyrac grinned taking a long swig from his bottle and wiping his mouth with his sleeve. "You're only love in this world is Patria." Enjolras frowned at him and took another short drink. Looking out towards the city, where the towers of the French government buildings could be seen. Courfeyrac following Enjolras' gaze then looking up at the stars. The moon was large and full and seemed to illuminate the city in a pale light. Courfeyrac patted Enjolras on the shoulder, turning around to go back into the tavern. "The time will come, Enjolras." He smiled at him. "The time will come."

Isabelle drummed her fingers on the table and sighed. She picked up her fork and picked at her food. Her aunt and uncle made small talk across the breakfast table, not paying too much attention to her. She was completely zoning out and not paying attention at all. She played with her food, not hungry in the slightest. She put her fork down and looked out the window, her head propped up on her elbow.

"Do not put your elbows on the table Isabelle. And stop playing with your food, you are not a child anymore." Her aunt scoffed at her across the table. Isabelle was brought out of her stupor and round to reality.

"Sorry Aunt." She replied.

"I do not know what has gotten into you, Isabelle. We hardly see you anymore!" She uncle exclaimed folding his paper and putting it back on the table.

"And when we do you are hardly ever paying attention. You are spending too much time with those people you call friends." He went on. Isabelle glared at him and took a bite of her breakfast.

"I am not really hungry." She said.

"Do not be so silly!" Isabelle's aunt scolded. "You need to eat. You are becoming so skinny." Isabelle sighed and rolled her eyes. Her aunt reached across and moved a curl of Isabelle's hair behind her ear. Isabelle jerked away and her aunt shook her head. "Look! You are becoming that unhealthy brown colour." Isabelle moved back from the table and one of the maids moved forward to take her plate. "What is the point in having those nice bonnets if you never even bother to really wear them?" Isabelle nodded politely and left the room. When the door had shut behind her the aunt sighed exasperatedly. "She is such a strange girl." She said as her husband nodded. "She needs a husband. She has been 2 weeks in this city and has not made any connections. She's seen no one except those friends of hers..." She would have gone on nagging but her husband cut her off thoughtfully. "Yes. When we took her in we promised to see her married. The sooner the better." He leaned back and thought.

"I wonder if that cousin of hers, Henri, is still un-attached. I can contact his father."

The day finally came for them all to meet once again. Isabelle had hardly been able to sleep the night before due to incredible excitement rushing through her veins. She finally managed to drift off then woke early so she had plenty of time to be ready. Sophie helped her, smirking the whole time. She had placed her rose in a glass of water and it was still red as ever and she had arranged it into her dark hair. She had laid out almost every piece of clothing she had and gotten dressed and re-dressed half a dozen times. When she had finally chosen on what to wear she checked herself over in the mirror. The dress was a deep red, an old present from a friend. Red and black. It had been a while since she had worn it and she wondered why she hadn't. She wore a locket with the outlines of her parents held inside. It was all she could remember of them and she wore it always but this was one of the only dresses you could actually see it in. She turned to Sophie and spread her black gloved hands for Sophie to see everything. Sophie nodded.

"Very nice miss." She handed her her small bag once again and motioned to the door. "Monsieur Enjolras going to be there again, miss?" Isabelle turned back to her. Where does she get this information?! Isabelle thought, feeling alarmed.

"I suppose. Why would it matter? It makes no difference to me." I have no talent for lying, Isabelle thought. I wouldn't go otherwise.

"Of course it wouldn't matter, miss." She smiled and watched her hurry down the stairs. "Wouldn't matter at all."

"Enjolras! We are going to be late! What are you doing up there?" Courfeyrac called up the tall wooden stairs. Enjolras stood in front of his mirror, two jackets in his hands. He held each one up in front of him, one at a time, to see which he preferred. He sighed. Why was he even bothering? It wasn't like she cared what he was wearing...but he did want to look smart. A man in his position couldn't risk looking scruffy when talking to a lady of her position and ideas. After getting back from the gardens, Enjolras had locked himself in his roof, as not to be disturbed by his friends, and had written around the clock. Her thoughts and ideas had sprouted new inspiration for him and just that morning he had sent off seven new articles to various papers in the city and waited eagerly for their responses. He tried both of the jackets again then heard Grandaire calling from downstairs. "Come on man!" He made a quick decision. The black. He pulled it over his purple waistcoat and buttoned it quickly. She straightened his cravat, his best one on purpose this time and hurried down the stairs. The other two smirked at each other when they saw him but chose wisely not to say something. They knew he would only get worked up if they did. They climbed one after the other into the small carriage and sat with Enjolras sitting across from the other two. The other two watched Enjolras as her nervously straightened his jacket or cravat every few seconds, trying not to laugh. When Enjolras saw them watching him, his hands dropped to his side and he looked out the window.

"No use hiding it, Enjolras." Grantaire laughed, watching him, beady eyed.

"I do not know what you could be referring to." Enjolras said cooly, managing to keep his face completely blank. "I simply want to look smart." Courfeyrac snorted turning back to them both.

"A true politician." He smiled. "You can deny it all you want, Enjolras and for now, we shall remain silent for you." He shot Grantaire a meaningful look and Grantaire was silent. Enjolras shook his head. Courfeyrac may think he knows everything, but he's wrong. I don't know what he's talking about, Enjolras thought. I'm not in denial of anything! He told himself. Nothing at all. He shook his head and leaned back against the carriage side. I have nothing to hide, he told himself firmly. Nothing at all.

"Where on earth are they?!" Analese cried. "They are late! Always late!" Isabelle rolled her eyes.

"Calm down. We have only been waiting five minutes. They are sure to be here soon." She looked back towards the street. She too was impatient, tapping her foot and checking the street every few seconds.

"Trust Courfeyrac to be punctual three times in a row." Marie said, feeling irritated. "We should not have even bothered!"

"Stop your worrying!" Isabelle turned to them although she too was feeling uneasy. What if he didn't come? She shouldn't have rattled on so much last time. I have no doubt he won't ever want to see me again! She thought to herself feeling deranged. "They are just a little late. There is probably a reasonable explanation." They all watched the street.

"Oh, when he get's here I'll...I'll..." Isabelle rolled her eyes.

"It is fine, Marie. Calm down. I am sure they do not mean to be late." Analese squealed behind them and ran towards the large glass windows.

"That has to be them!" Marie and Analese crossed their arms and fixed angry expressions on their faces as the men walked in. Grandaire and Courfeyrac seemed to be laughing about something, to which Enjolras did not find amusing, but stopped when they saw Marie and Analese waiting for them. Both walked timidly over to one of them and began groveling and apologizing extensively as Isabelle watched them, shaking her her head and raising her eyebrows. She turned away from them and a huge smile she couldn't suppress broke out over her face. Enjolras too gave an obliging smile although he managed to contain a lot of his happiness. He walked over to her and they stood before each other waiting for the other to say something first.

"Mademoiselle." He nodded politely and she too nodded, putting her hands behind her back trying not to show how truly excited she was to be with him once again.

"Monsieur." They stood silently for a few seconds, wondering what to say to each other next. They both seemed to have a weight on their shoulders not to say anything that could compromise their situation.

"So I..." She began.

"I was..." He said at the same time. They laughed, awkwardly and were once again silent as they cursed themselves. What is wrong with me? Isabelle thought to herself. Why am I so jumpy? Why should I care so much what one man thinks? She went on but was pulled out of her thoughts by Enjolras' calm voice.

"I saw that there was a new exhibition that just opened yesterday." He motioned the opening to the next wing. "It looks to be interesting and I would enjoy seeing it, if you would like to accompany me?" He look back at her and she thanked him silently for finally saying something.

"I would love to." She turned to the others who were still occupied with arguing about why they were late.

"Let us go quickly." She said following the signs. "Before the others realise we have left them." He nodded and they moved swiftly off towards where all the signs pointed. They came to the exhibition and then slowed down to examine the fine works of art. They walked for a few minutes in silence before Isabelle continued the sentence she had started before. "I looked through some of the old newspapers when I got back to my uncle house after last we met." She looked at one of the paintings, reading the caption below it. He frowned and turned away from his painting to look at her. "Was there a reason for that?" He asked, puzzled.

"I cannot imagine why you should want to do such a thing." He looked at the next picture. What a waste of time that could be spent doing more productive things. "I went back through the last few and found one of your older articles. Now that I know it was you I wanted to read more." She went on, sounding truly fascinated.

"Oh." He said, surprised she would bother although, he couldn't help feeling a sense of warm pride running through his veins but then suddenly erased with uneasiness. "What did you think?" He asked hesitantly.

"I found one from a month ago." She said, walking along. "It was fascinating, I particularly enjoyed your thoughts on the revolution of 1789." She went on without turning around while he watched her moving.

"I am glad you enjoyed them." He nodded politely in thanks.

"Oh, yes. They were wonderful! You have such logical thoughts and a unique way of putting them down on paper. It is all very interesting!" She praised. "I hope to see more of them soon, Mousnier Blanc." Her eyes twinkled and they continued to walk on through the hallways, examining the other paintings and weaving in and out of other people who had come to the gallery.

"I hope you will too." He sighed and she turned back to him puzzling over his words as he elaborated. "After the our time in the gardens, your ideas gave me a new way to see things and I wrote everything down." A broad grin spread over her face.

"Really?!" She cried incredulously then caught herself, lessened her smile then went on, trying to act indifferent although she was more excited than ever. She placed her arms behind her back and sauntered on. "I am glad you thought my ideas were worth writing about."

"Oh yes," He said walking further, his hands also clasped behind his back. "I sent of about seven articles off to be published this morning." He continued, sounding like his normal formal self.

"I am sure they will be." She said encouragingly as she turned her head back towards him. "You have quite a talent for words." He frowned, confused then decided to not think too hard about it. She was complimenting him, he shouldn't be so picky.

"Thank you, Mademoiselle." He replied as she turned back around. "You have an many interesting ideas worth writing about." She laughed loudly causing the few people around them to turn angrily.

"Thank you, Monsieur. But there are plenty who would disagree." Could say the same thing for me, Enjolras thought to himself. Caught up in his own thoughts he almost banged into her not realising she had stopped to admire one of the paintings. He sighed, feeling a short burst of annoyance but relaxed when he saw her peaceful face. Her eyes were trained on the large landscape, green countryside and a large mansion on the lawn. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" She said thoughtfully. He turned his head towards the painting but kept his eyes on her face for a few more seconds before managing to tear his eyes away and look at the expensive art piece.

"Hmm." He said, raising his eyebrows and not really looking at it, having his eyes stray back to her face. He had never been a huge fan of art so why he had agreed to some to an art gallery, he had no idea. He was pulled out of his thoughts by Isabelle's next question as her large green eyes turned back to him.

"So, what did you write about?" He recovered quickly.

"Oh, everything we mentioned... I..." He went into great detail about everything he had written about since they had last met. Quite frankly, Isabelle only took in about half of it. She tried to listen, honestly. What he was saying was fascinating and under other circumstances she wouldn't have been able to tear herself away from his words, but this was no ordinary situation. She was thinking too much about what he had said before. Her ideas had inspired him! No one had ever said that to her before...most likely because she had never really discussed her thoughts with many people before. She had never thought her ideas were special or particularly interesting, and yet here was a man she greatly admired telling her that she had influenced him. It was almost too much to believe and she bit her lip to stop from giggling from all the energy that was bursting inside of her. He was truly a wonderful individual. Honest, kind and passionate. She glanced at him as he went on talking. She felt like she could float above the earth right then, feeling happier than ever. She sighed and allowed him to lead her to bench in the middle of a large hall where he went on. How had this happened? She thought to herself. Two weeks ago she would never have believed that she and the man who had saved her life would be sitting together discussing politics. She shook her head and kept listening. She liked to watch his eyes as he talked. Normally they were a calm, sky blue but now they looked more like a stormy sea as he went on passionately about his thoughts. She was fixated by how the light danced off them and it was many minutes before she realised he was staring. She coughed awkwardly and looked back down at her hands. He stopped talking and looked back at her, annoyed and his eyes narrowed.

"I apologize, Mademoiselle." He said, stiffly. "I did not mean to keep talking."

"Oh no!" She reassured him, seeing his anger. "I find your ideas most interesting I just feel a little warm is all." Her cheeks were flushing once again in embarrassment but he too looked around the room.

"It is a little warm, I suppose. Do you want to step outside?" He asked politely. It's our first meeting all over again, he thought to himself irritatedly. She chanced a look at his face and saw he was annoyed with her.

"Oh no. I will be alright is we keep going." She chanced a look at him and saw he was irritated with her. She turned so she was in front of him and he was forced to look at her. "Tell me more." She smiled kindly. He was still frowning but the look passed and he too gave a small smile.

"I do not wish to keep talking." He shook his head and looked down but she bent down so he could still see her face. "Please. I want to know more." She raised her eyebrows and he chuckled.

"Well then, Mademoiselle." He offered her his arm. "Allow me to escort you the rest of the way."

When they came out of the exhibition, they saw no one else from their party and decided to wait outside in the bright sunshine. The light was warm and inviting so they made their way slowly to a small gathering place with chairs and tables outside in the warmth nearby with a view of the gallery doors so they could see when their friends approached.

"Monsieur, Mademoiselle." A young man came out and tried to show them to a table but Isabelle piped up,

"Excuse me, Monsieur. Could we have one by the flowers over there?" She pointed around him to a large floral display at the back by the street. "Please." She smiled kindly.

"Of course Mademoiselle." He lead them to a small table where they sat down happily and both ordered coffee, sitting back contentedly. The cafe was small and old, with some of the paint peeling off the top of the walls but the rest of the white paint still shined in the sun. The roof stretched out over the tables but they were still outside in the street, off to side out of everyones way. Enjolras looked around the almost empty street then back at the large flowers then smiling to himself. The roses swayed gently with the wind and carried their sweet scent across the table and back out into the street. She sighed looking at him then leaned forward, interlocking her fingers on the table looking serious for a minute.

"I want to thank you, Monsieur." He frowned, puzzled.

"Whatever for?" He asked.

"Everything." She shrugged. "You have opened my eyes to a whole new world here in Paris and I am so grateful to you." He cocked his head, at a loss for why she would say that but didn't have a chance to say something due to the fact that the waiter returned right then with their drinks.

"Thank you." Isabelle nodded at at the waiter and took a sample of her coffee. Enjolras mused over what she had said and took a sip from his own as Isabelle sighed peacefully.

"I never thought living in Paris would be like this." She looked out into the street.

"What did you expect?" Enjolras asked setting down his drink.

"No conversations like we have had for a start." She smiled taking another sip from her drink. "When I moved I thought my life would just go on being as normal and boring as it was before...but now my life has a spark to it that wasn't there before." She glanced at him but his eyes were still on the street as she drifted off into silence.

"Well, I am glad Paris is to your liking." He grinned as he turned back around.

"Oh it is!" She exclaimed. "It's everything any reasonable person could want in a place to live and more." She sighed, taking another sip of her coffee. "I love it here. I never want to leave." Enjolras chuckled.

"The city does have that effect on many people." She laughed and watched the street again. Why should anyone want to leave? Isabelle asked herself. Paris had everything she wanted. She hoped she would never have to. She tapped a finger on the table on the table, deep in thought. Her uncle had once threatened to marry her off... but she was sure that threat had long since passed. She shook her head to clear it. There was nothing she had to worry about, she was sure. Nothing at all.


	6. Chapter 6

"Where have you been?" Isabelle's aunt hurried down the stairs to her as she took off her coat and bonnet, giving them to Sophie.

"Thank you." She murmured and turned to her aunt. "I was just out with a few friends." Isabelle said as she moved past her aunt and up the long staircase. "I am sorry. I should have said."

"You have been gone all day!" He aunt called, trying to run after her. "And you did not even say where you were going! I do not know where you have been and I deserve to know!" Isabelle turned at the top of the steps to look at her, still making her slow way up.

"I am sorry. I forgot to let anyone know. I left in rather a hurry." She gave a small smile, looking almost tired. "But there is no need to worry." She bent down and kissed the old woman on the cheek. "I am perfectly able to look after myself and choose whom I should spend my time with." Her aunt's eyes narrowed and she huffed up the top steps.

"Do not be ridiculous, Isabelle!" She scolded as Isabelle got to her room. "You must stop this foolish gallivanting around the city with those so called friends." Isabelle took her hand off her door handle and turned back to her.

"Do not worry, Aunt! I am perfectly capable of choosing my own friends and choosing when and where I shall see them." Her aunt scoffed.

"You will never find a husband if you insist on spending all of your time with those who are..." She looked around the halls. "Beneath us." Isabelle laughed loudly and opened her door. "I have no thoughts of matrimony... at the present." Isabelle said, half closing it. "And I doubt to have any in the near future."

"All the young ladies of your class and age are married by now!" Her aunt cried, trying to peer round her door and Isabelle sighed exasperatedly.

"I know, aunt. I just think I should be allowed some more time on my own without a husband until I am ready to settle down and actually raise a family." She leaned against her door post. "The idea is absurd right now. I do not want a husband and do not need one. I am sure I shall be ready for one soon but for right now," She smiled. "Until I find someone who I could spend the rest of my life with happily, I shall live perfectly well, on my own." She stepped back into her room and closed the door on her aunt who was trying to find the right words to say. Her aunt sighed angrily and walked back down the hall. The sooner we get in touch with her cousin, the better, the aunt thought and she moved slowly down the stairs once again. She's almost 21 and that face of hers won't last much longer. The sooner she's married, the better for us all.

Isabelle slid down her door and let out all of her breath in one. She was sick and tired of the same argument. Do this, don't do that! You must marry! She put her head against the door and sighed. Until that conversation she had been having a wonderful day. She had spent a fantastic time with Enjolras, only to be ended by her friends running out of the museum looking for them and screeching when they saw her. She had only just managed to say goodbye to him before being pulled away and driven home. She moved to her bed and flopped on it, feeling exhausted. She closed her eyes remembering his voice, rolling over her as he talked and how she had hardly been able to contain her excitement watching him. He propped herself up on her elbow looking towards her window and out towards the street. She couldn't wait until the next meeting with her friends. She had to see him again. She laid back and beamed, feeling content. She just had to.

The days after their last meeting rolled by in warm sunshine and Isabelle spent everyday asking herself what to do. She wanted to see him again but didn't know how to go about it. She avoided her aunt and uncle, knowing they would only aggravate her and kept to her room. She also had no word from her friends saying they would be going out anytime soon so she sat in her room at her writing desk, puzzling over what to do. She had a piece of yellow writing paper in front of her and her quill was in her hand ready to write but the words just wouldn't come. There were balled up rejects all over the room and she hadn't gotten any further to reaching her goal. A drop of ink from her quill fell onto her paper and she hurried to blot it away before it stained. She placed her head on the desk and groaned. What could she say? She heard a small knock on the door.

"Come in." Isabelle asked, not looking up until she heard Sophie's voice.

"You alright miss?" Her voice echoed around the vast room. "Only, you haven't come down for anything to eat today and your aunt sent me up to see if you were alright." Isabelle rubbed her eyes.

"Yes, Yes. I'm fine. Thank you Sophie." Sophie nodded.

"Anything else you want, miss?" Sophie asked looking around the cluttered room at all the papers scattered across the floor.

"No. That's alright." Isabelle sighed turning back towards her desk.

"Very well, miss."" Sophie turned to leave but Isabelle called her back.

"Actually... wait a minute." She dipped her quill in the inkpot and finally scribbled a short note. "Here." She folded the letter and sealed it shut, handing it to Sophie. "Take this to a Monsieur Enjolras at the... ABC cafe." She said, remembering the place he had once mentioned. Sophie took the note in her two hands and rolled her tongue over her teeth.

"That's an awful long way miss." She shook her head and Isabelle rolled her eyes, going to her bag.

"Here." She handed her a few coins that Sophie studied.

"It's awful cold out, miss." Sophie looked outside and Isabelle sighed, pressing a few more coins into her small hand. Sophie grinned widely. "Thank you, miss. I shall be back soon." Isabelle watched her run down that stairs and skip out the front door happily. Isabelle went to her window and looked out, watching Sophie run through the streets. Now all she had to do was wait for a reply.

Enjolras drummed his fingers on the table impatiently. He sat in the musty cafe room with the sun streaming in through the window onto the table where he was working. He was surrounded by piles of papers and book and he sat there rubbing his eyes. He had been working all night and hadn't gotten any sleep. He ran a hand through his tousled hair and looked out the window. He had removed his jacket and loosened the top buttons of his shirt but he was still feeling overheated. He saw a young girl running towards the building but took no notice of her, turning back to his work. He had gotten six out of seven letters to the political papers he had sent his articles to in Paris and the surrounding areas and he had spent the whole morning reviewing them and editing them to the paper's preferences. He wanted to see Isabelle again, to tell her of his accomplishments but he didn't know when he would next see her. He was too caught up in this thoughts to notice that young girl who he had seen running was now next to him.

"Got a letter for a Monsieur Enjolras." She said, reading the name on the letter and holding it out to him. He almost jumped but reached for the letter, thanking her. She pulled it back quickly and extended her opened palm. Enjolras' eyes narrowed and he reached into his pocket for a few coins which he pressed into her hand. "Thank you sir." She nodded, handing him the letter. The last letter from the paper? He asked himself as he opened the seal and turned the letter around the right way. The writing was neat, obviously a woman's but looked at though it had been rushed through.

"Monsieur Enjolras," It read. "I would be delighted if you could meet me outside the Cafe de la Rose today, at four, if it is to your convenience. Please send me back a note at Rue Fermat if you will be able to make it. Yours sincerely, Isabelle Martin." He read through it once again and then jumped up.

"Gavroche!" He called for the young boy as he grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled his own reply. "Gavroche!" He went out to the landing and looked down on the rest of the cafe. The young blond boy hurried up the stairs.

"Something wrong?" Gavroche rubbed his eyes and yawned like he had just woken up.

"I need you to take this to Rue Fermat. Do you know it is?" Enjolras asked as he folded the letter. Gavroche put on a face of mock thought and replied,

"I might..." Enjolras sighed and reached further into his pocket for change and handed the young boy a few coins. Gavroche's blue eyes sparkled mischievously and he nodded.

"Thank you, Monsieur." Gavroche took the letter and grinned. "A little something for you and little something for me." Enjolras rolled his eyes and Gavroche darted out the door. Enjolras turned back to his table and began piling up papers and books, trying to get them down the stairs. He had to go back to his apartment and get ready. He only had a small amount of time but he wanted to look his best. Courfeyrac, who was downstairs in the larger area, watched Gavroche run past laughing then shook his head seeing Enjolras come down with his books.

"Going somewhere, Enjolras?" He called after him but Enjolras didn't reply. Courfeyrac turned to the other students they were with and they looked at one another.

"What has gotten into him?" One of the other students asked, watching him as he left.

"With him, who knows?" Another replied. Courfeyrac laughed with the other but watched Enjolras as he moved away, puzzling over it himself.

Enjolras arrived early at their meeting point and looked around for a few minutes. Upon not seeing her, he sat in one of the old cafe chairs and waited. He straightened his jacket and looked himself over in a nearby window to make sure he looked his best. He knew that under normal meeting circumstances, he wouldn't have normally minded how he looked, but Isabelle was no longer a normal circumstance, he felt. He had a certain fondness for her he hadn't felt for any other and he enjoyed her company more than others he had spent time with before. He had a certain admiration for he that felt whenever he was in her company and he felt that that admiration should be met with a smart demeanor and a ready mind. He had found himself thinking about her more and more as they had met and then even more when they weren't together. He didn't know why he had this excessive thought about her, but he suspected it was mostly out of respect for her idea. He went on puzzling over his odd thoughts until her carriage arrived, five minutes later. The carriage pulled up at the side of the cobblestone road and Isabelle stepped out into the evening light. The day had grown stuffy and warm and the sun had almost set but the nearby shops and cafes were putting up their evening lights so that their customers could see what they were doing. Her eyes scanned the room and saw him towards the back. She smiled widely as she made her way over to him. Her eyes were warm and dark in the dim light and he stood politely as she came up next to him.

"Thank you for coming." She said breathlessly. "My pleasure." He smiled motioning to a seat. She sat, sighing like she was exhausted and removed her bonnet. "I apologize I was late." She said guiltily. "I should have left sooner but there were certain...complications." She avoided his eyes and looked around. Her aunt and uncle had gone out that night but had left later than planned. She had been forced to wait for the carriage to come back from dropping them off at their event then take her to this cafe where she could meet Enjolras. Naturally, she couldn't tell them where she was going and although she did feel bad about deceiving them, she thought it was worth it. "Would you like to walk? I've heard the this part of the river is particularly beautiful by night." Enjolras too turned back towards the river watching the lights along the bank begin to light.

"I have heard the same thing but I have not until now had the interest or pleasant companionship until now to experience it in." He stood and made way for her to go first and she passed him out into the street. They stood beside each other and began to make their way to the bank of the river. "I got some letters back from the papers I sent some of my articles too." He began, beginning the way they seemed to always begin.

"Congratulations!" She beamed at him. "I knew you would."

"I am glad you have such faith in me." He said appreciatively and she shrugged. "I have the feeling those articles will make you something great one day." At first he chuckled, thinking she was joking but when he saw her serious face he stopped and frowned.

"I am glad you think so, Mademoiselle." He shook his head. "But I am, starting to believe my fellow student in that no one really reads them...and the people of Paris and too afraid to act on them." He frowned. "And I have no interest of being made into some sort of hero." She walked in silence for a moment, thinking about what he had said.

"Well," She turned and smiled at him. "You know you have at least one interested reader." He chuckled politely and they walked on further until they got to the edge of the river. "Marie and Analese weren't lying for once." Isabelle said, staring out at the black water in awe. "It is a beautiful place." The warm, yellow glow of the lights along the river threw bright reflections on the water and there were a few other people to be seen along the bank.

"Would you care to go further?" Enjolras asked and she nodded vigorously. He offered her his arm and they walked along peacefully. She sighed contentedly and he asked what was wrong.

"Nothing." She said looking back at the river. "Everything is just so peaceful. It is almost difficult to believe it is the same city." He too looked around.

"It is a rather idyllic setting, is it not."

"It is nothing short of perfect." She smiled, breaking away from his arm and moving towards one the large trees that shaded the bank. She looked up in the large branches and then out into the river. She sat on the small wooden seat that would have normally been in shade from the hot sun but was now illuminated by the light of a small lamp. Enjolras stood behind, watching her as she moved gracefully. He too moved to sit on the bench, far on the other side which was appropriate. She looked up at the stars and smiled gladly. "You can never see the stars as well from my home. I've never seen them so clear." He too looked up then back to her eyes. The stars were twinkling in them and he caught himself giving a small smile at their beauty. When he did catch himself he coughed and also looked up.

"Yes. They are rather clear tonight." She frowned and held up a hand.

"Is that..." She pointed to the three stars in a line. "Is that Orion's belt?" She drew the line with her finger. "I remember my father telling me about the stars when I was a small child." She looked down for a minute. "It is one of the only things I remember about him." Enjolras watched her face droop and would have said something but the smile was back on in a second and and looked back up at the stars. "And then, there is his bow... am I right?" She looked at him and Enjolras nodded.

"There." He too pointed up at the constellation. "There is the bow, his belt and his legs." He pointed them all out. Against her will, her face dropped from the stars and instead looked to him. His blue eyes looked black in the dark light and his face looked shadowy in the night. However, he still remained as handsome as she had ever found him to be and he went on to point out more constellations. She moved her head to the side, pondering. His face was one of little information and although she had great knowledge of his political ideas, she knew almost nothing about him. They had met only three previous times and yet, in such a small space of time, she had decided he was one of the most interesting individuals she had ever met. She couldn't think of any other to whom she had connected so well, and a man at that. She shuddered to think what he aunt would do if she saw them in their position but she felt she could trust him wholeheartedly. He had saved her life after all, she thought back to that night that seemed so long ago. She continued watching his eyes, not even partially listening to his words. She felt a certain way when with him that she never felt with another. She enjoyed time with other people, naturally, but it simply wasn't the same. There was a certain sense of liberation and freedom from normal life she felt when around him and, she then realised, although she had known his the shortest out of any other of her friends, he knew the most about her. She wondered if she was the same for him. Of course not. She told herself. The idea would be ridiculous. He has known many people and she was only a friendly acquaintance. And although she should not have been bothered by this, it had never troubled her before, she felt a certain unhappiness in the pit of her stomach for being thought of that way. It's just your silly mind, she told herself. You don't know that's what he really thinks. And although she moved on with her thoughts, the nagging sadness stayed at the back of her head. She hardly noticed when Enjolras finished pointing yet another constellation out and looked back to see her watching his face. "Have you lost interest in the stars so quickly?" He asked, confused over why she would be watching him and not the rather more interesting night sky.

"No... no... I was just..." She looked back up quickly. "Forgive me." She looked up at the brightly lit sky. "What's that one?" She pointed to a star. "That..." He kept his eyes on her face for a few more seconds then looked to where she was pointing.

"I believe that is Sirius." He nodded, confirming it. "The dog star..."

"...The brightest star in the sky." She finished for him. Enjolras watched her looking up at it in awe and saw it reflected in her eyes. For a moment, all normal logic seemed to be wiped out of him and was instead replaced with a nothingness he had never felt before. It was just him, staring at the stars in Isabelle's eyes until she spoke again.

"It is hard to believe they are so far away. They seem so much closer." She looked back at him and he was brought back into reality.

"Hmm." He replied, looking back up at the stars. He had moved closer to point out certain stars and they were now sitting closer than they had been before. She sighed happily and looked out at the river which flowed slowly and peacefully past them. Both sat in silence, thinking of something to say but nothing springing to mind. Why was it that everytime they met, they seemed to be so static? Isabelle thought. They would talk but then always lapse back into this silence and although she wished they could be talking, it was also a welcome pause. Both wanted to take the few minutes to watch one another when the other wasn't looking and then not know what had been done. "How long have you known Mademoiselle Bellard and Gregoire?" Enjolras asked, referring to Marie and Annelise, wanting to end the silence but not really knowing what to say. She laughed and turned to him.

"What an odd question." She raised her eyebrows. "I suppose it was...it was..." She trailed off without realising she was doing so as she look into his face. Before she knew it she was leaning forward. Something had come over, something that could not be controlled and she had to act on it. Enjolras leaned back in alarm. What on earth was she doing? He looked around in confusion, wondering what to do. He smiled nervously, deciding to act in the most natural way he could. He too leaned forward, having no clue what he was doing. She had closed her eyes and almost looked like she was in a peaceful sleep but she was holding her breath. He leaned forward, blinking nervously until he was only a centimeter away from her. I'm going to regret this! The voice of logic and reason screamed in his head but now there a smaller voice, growing stronger every moment telling him to go on. What happened in the next moment could be described from either perspective. Isabelle thought it was the simplest, most beautiful thing to have ever happened to her while Enjolras was in a wild panic. What am I doing? He cried at himself. This is not proper! I shouldn't be doing this. One part of him was urging him to pull away and insist never to see her ever again while the part of him wanted it to go on. At least for a little longer. Isabelle, on the other hand, had a blank mind. Nothing was running through her head, which was normally an engine, never stopping. And although it only lasted for a few seconds, it was those few precious that would define almost everything they would do over the course of the next few months. It was Isabelle who ended it. She pulled away and turned so red, it was visible to Enjolras in the darkness.

"I am so sorry, Monsieur." She stood quickly and turned back towards the city. What was I thinking? She yelled at herself in a wild panic. I've ruined everything, he'll never wish to see me again, my aunt and uncle will somehow find out and marry me off and tomorrow... she went on imagining more awful things that could happen. Enjolras took a second to realise what was going on, still in a daze from what had just happened. What had just happened? He shook his head and closed his eyes trying to figure the past few seconds out. "I should never have done that. Forgive me I..." She was walking away quickly and stumbling over her words. He looked after her and felt the sudden urge to go after her. He knew he shouldn't. He knew he should just let her go... but he couldn't bring himself to just let her leave.

"Mademoiselle!" He called after her, running after her. She got back to the road before he could catch her and she called the cab that was down on the end of the road. She turned back to him as he approached but couldn't look him in the face and instead looked down at their feet shakily.

"I am so sorry, Monsieur. I don't know what came over me! I must be ill." She looked up, begging the carriage to hurry up and get to her but it was blocked by some sort of commotion at the crossroads. She put her hand in her forehead and ran her hand back through her hair. "It will never happen again, Monsieur. I swear... I will never..."

"May I say something?" Enjolras asked, trying to be heard by her. She stopped in mid word and look down again.

"Of course... of course Monsieur. Sorry." He breathed deeply and looked around.

"I do not know what to say." He chuckled but she still looked around in shock. "Only that..." He looked at her face and realised what had happened to him. What had been happening for the past week. Naturally, he hadn't identified it. It was a new experience for him but he had seen it on others consciousnesses so many times, he was surprised he hadn't seen it earlier. He never would have thought it possible that now he knew it could be nothing else that he was feeling.

"Only that..." He finally continued. "There is nothing to fear." She turned, alarmed towards him, thinking he must be joking.

"I do not know how you can say that." She scolded. "It was out of place. And I am sorry Monsieur, it will never happen again." She turned back to sounding pleady and almost afraid. Her carriage finally arrived and she hurried towards it.

"Allow me." He offered his hand and helped her into the box. He's mocking me, she thought to herself. What am I to do? He closed the door gently behind her and took a step back. "I would like to see you again, Mademoiselle." He nodded politely and her eyes widened in confusion. She opened her mouth to say something but the carriage pulled away and she was pushed back into her seat.


	7. Chapter 7

She frowned and set her head back against the comfy seat. She bit her lip and looked out the window at the houses flying by and the lights becoming streaks. Did that really just happen? She shook her head and closed her eyes, still in shock of the whole thing. She would never in a million years have imagined something like this would happen to her, now, in Paris, with him of all people. She had always admired Enjolras, for who wouldn't, but lately it had been more than admiration she could feel. She had first noticed the feeling when they had met in the gardens and since then the feeling had been growing steadily, but surely. It was after then she had truly noticed it and it had become hard not to realise. In honesty, she should have seen it sooner for she had never been so excited to see anyone before and she had sensed something was amiss in her head. She opened her eyes and leaned forward faced with a new idea. She had never experienced the feeling called love, apart from the sense of family and friends, but she knew it could be nothing else. She smiled to herself, incredulously. She was in love. It had to be. It could be nothing else. She had wondered once if she would ever fall in love or if she was destined just to be married and never experience the feeling she had been told so much about, but now she knew. What surprised her most of all was that, no matter how much more she thought about what had just happened, Enjolras, and the fact that she must be in love, the more the feeling grew until it engulfed her like a warm breeze. I'm in love, she told herself once again leaning her head back against the carriage wall and smiling blissfully. How did I not see it before? She wondered. How did it now show itself before? Did I not want it to? She shrugged and was then stuck by a horrible thought. What if he didn't feel the same way? What would she do? She sighed in annoyance with herself. She couldn't just be happy with the thought of being on love, no. She had to think of some problem to make her feel uneasy once again. Well, she told herself. He did say he wanted to see me again... maybe I'll be able to tell then. Yes, she nodded. That's what she would do. She would sort it out then. She allowed herself to relax and sit back again, closing her eyes and thinking of him once again. In love, she told herself once again. Love.

Enjolras watched the carriage trundle away, watching it until it disappeared from sight and he turned around, thinking hard. He walked slowly, in the opposite direction, back towards home, and thought back on what had just happened. The feeling he had felt, something different from ever before... it must have been...

"No." He told himself firmly. He didn't have time for such feelings, his work kept him too occupied. He turned and looked back at the way she had left. And yet... there was a nagging thought in the back of his head. He had felt something, right before she had left and he had acknowledged it, it would be foolish to overlook that. So he had felt something, he looked out at the lights on the river. He thought he knew what as well, but he didn't want it to be true. He had seen how others acted on this rash feeling and wanted nothing more than to remain calm, and collected. He would be smart about it, not let it all go to his head but he could not deny how he had felt. He turned and started walking again, along the narrow path. The concept of love was never truly one he had bothered about, believing that it would come in no other form that Patria, but now he saw himself staring it in the face and was almost startled. He had watched many of his fellow students go to waste over their so called love, and he was determined not to follow in their paths, but he was also determined to do something about it. He had said he wanted to see her again, so he would figure everything out then. But for now, he would simply relax and not think too much about it. He was in... in... he forced himself to admit it to himself. In love, he told himself and he sighed, feeling a great weight leaping of his chest. Yes, in... love. He didn't like the idea, but now knew there was nothing he could do to stop it. He knew now that if he had wanted to stop it, he would have had to stop seeing her after he saved her life, as it had just grown since then. He chuckled to himself, finally coming to terms with the concept of love but also made a decision. He would keep it to himself, he would let nothing show on his face or in his manner and would go on with his work as normal as if nothing had happened. He nodded, this was the best thing to do. What if she does not feel the same way? He puzzled, stopping in mid-step. She shook his head. He wouldn't think of it anymore. Not Isabelle, not tonight and not his feelings. He would on normally like nothing was changed, for nothing really was. It was only one new emotion that he was feeling, he could easily hide it. He nodded firmly and set of with large, strong strides towards home and much needed rest.

"Did any post come for me this morning?" Isabelle leaned over the landing railing and called down at Sophie. Sophie looked through the small pile of letters and shook her head.

"Sorry miss." She called back up. "Nothing today." Isabelle sighed in frustration but thanked Sophie anyway.

"Are you expecting a letter?" Her aunt came up from behind her and Isabelle jumped.

"Not really." She lied. "It was just a thought." Her aunt eyed her skeptically for a minute but let it pass.

"Very well, dear." She patted Isabelle's hand and then walked down the stairs slowly. No letters once again, Isabelle retreated back to her room, sighing. None for three days now and Isabelle, against her will, was starting to get worried. She passed her writing desk and pondered whether to write a letter herself but decided against it. Better not, she told herself walking to the window and looking out into the street. He's probably just busy, she told herself, watching the people and carriages fly by in the mid morning sun. Yes, just busy, she thought again not wanting to entertain the possibility that he no longer wanted to see her. After all, she flopped on her bed, he had a lot of work to do, being a law student and all. She would rather have him working on those more important things than worrying about her. As soon as she heard this she heard a small knock on her door.

"Come in." Isabelle sat up and faced the door as Sophie emerged holding a small piece of paper.

"Someone just delivered this to the door miss. I managed to get him to give it to me without paying him anything." Isabelle's eyes widened and she reached for it.

"Thank you, Sophie." She smiled and reached for it. Sophie resisted the impulse to ask for money and handed her the letter, knowing who it must be from.

"Welcome miss. I'll go tell them to get the carriage ready." Sophie turned on her heel and left before Isabelle could ask why she would need the carriage. She frowned after her for a few seconds after her but then remembered the letter in her hand. She tore it open and turned it around so she could read the small, neat handwriting. She scanned it once, twice and again to be sure. It was just a small note but enough for her to feel the warmth and excitement of before. She grabbed her a shawl from inside her closet and hurried out the room and down the flight of stairs.

"Aunt!" She called. "I am going out. I promise to be back soon!"

"What?!" She could hear and muffled call from back within the house but she was out the door and into the carriage.

"Thank you, Sophie." She whispered to herself and told the driver the destination, sitting back in the warm seat. She could hardly sit still for all the adrenaline running through her veins. She laughed at her own silliness. She had been so worried at the fact that he may never have wanted to see her again, but knew she knew there had been nothing to fear all along.

I have to say something soon, Isabelle reminded herself as she looked at Enjolras who stood next to her on the bridge overlooking the river. They stood, glancing at each other when the other wasn't looking, thinking of something to say. Both knew they should express their feelings but both were at a loss for how to do it. Isabelle tapped her foot nervously and fidgeted with a brown curl of her hair as Enjolras looked out at the river. What if I say something then he doesn't feel the same way? She thought frantically. What happens then? As much as she hated to admit it, she couldn't help but feel that she would be lost without him. After she had admitted to herself that she did love him, she didn't know how she could ever go out without him near her. She looked out at the sky, reflected in the river and cleared her throat. Enjolras turned, raising his eyebrows, expecting her to say something but she remained silent. I should say something, Enjolras thought to himself quickly. Something... anything. The silence was killing him.

"So." Isabelle finally managed to form words. "Umm... uh... did you ever receive that letter you were waiting for?" He frowned in confusion. "That seventh letter?" She went on and he nodded, smiling nervously.

"Yes. It uh... it came yesterday." Why does the feeling of love for one another person make everything so static? He wondered, still trying to figure out the feeling the more he experienced it for Isabelle. She expected him to go on but he stopped there and they lapsed back into another awkward silence. Just say it! Isabelle told herself. Just get it over with. She breathed deeply looking at him watch the life along the banks of the river, which they overlooked on the bridge, preparing herself.

"Monsieur... I...I wanted to say..." Suddenly a large gust of wind came past and she was forced into silence as he dressed whipped around her in the strong gale. When the wind finally stopped they they chuckled and looked around to see that people beneath them bracing themselves and the random articles on the ground flying around Enjolras turned back to her and continued their conversation from before.

"What were you saying, Mademoiselle." Isabelle stopped smiling instantly and swallowed nervously. She bit her lip and fiddled with her green shawl. Enjolras looked at her hands and raised his eyebrows. "Is there anything wrong, Mademoiselle?" He leaned forward concerned.

"No." She shook her head. "Not really." She mouthed as he turned away, seeing nothing. Enjolras drummed his fingers on the stone railing of the bridge thoughtfully. What was she trying to say? He wondered. Could it be...? He watched face as she looked down then out to the river. She looked like she was forcing herself not to look at him and was quite uncomfortable with their situation in the present. No, he gave a small shake of his head. It couldn't be. It was just his imagination, he was sure of it. His mind wishing that love would be that easy. "I was simply going to say that I... I..." She trailed off again and he leaned forward.

"Mademoiselle." He began, looking straight into her eyes. She didn't look at him for a few seconds but then forced herself to. Such beautiful eyes, she thought. Intelligent, bright, full of life, she tried not to stare but couldn't help it. Doors were windows into the soul, she had once been told, a normally his told nothing but now... there was something else behind the eyes. Something new. Of all the people who had to fall in love in the world, why her?

"In the past few weeks we have discussed many delicate matters that, if heard by anyone else, could land both of us in a large amount of trouble. You..." He paused and swallowed. "You have earned my trust. I hope I have, in return, earned yours." She smiled nervously and placed her hands on the railing of the bridge. Here it comes. I have to say something and here it goes. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply once again. What can she have to say that scares her so much? Enjolras thought to himself, eying her suspiciously. She opened her eyes and looked at him again.

"I.. I..." She couldn't figure out what to say. She spread her arms in front of her on the railing and leaned forward sighing. Why is this so difficult?! She cried to herself, leaning her head forward in distress. She stayed like that for a second then brought her head back up and looked at the water. "I'm sorry." She turned back to him. "I'm acting like a child." She tugged at the hem of her shawl once again, put a hand of her forehead and sighed.

"Are you ill?" He asked. She would be, wouldn't she? He thought to himself, grudgingly. Right when I should need to have serious conversation with her about... "Is there something I can do to help?" She shook her head and pulled her hand out from between his, turning back towards the river.

"There is nothing wrong. I just need to say something. Something I have been... wanting to say for quite some time now." She turned to him. Just say it, she told herself. Hurry up and say it. She had realized now that she didn't care how he felt about her but she was about to burst with how she felt about him. "Monsieur, may I speak my mind?" Enjolras frowned and nodded pointedly. It's never stopped her before, he thought. She breathed deeply and plunged into it before she stopped herself again. "Lately we have been talking a lot and I have enjoyed every minute of it. I do not think I could ever go on with my life in a normal manner after knowing you, hearing your thoughts and me telling you mine." She paused and chanced a look at his face which was still blank except for a new spark in his eyes. "I know we have only met a mere four times but I cannot help my feelings." She blinked, feeling the hot flush rise to her cheeks but trying to force it down. "I can understand if you should not feel the same way about me but..." Enjolras thought fast. So she did love him... and he loved her. A certain feeling he thought me would never feel, like a warm sensation, ran all down his body from his fingertips to his toes. He watched her beautiful green eyes look at him intently, awaiting an answer from him. He didn't know exactly what to say but took an educated guess and replied kindly.

"I believe this is the point in our conversation where I voice my opinions on the topic." He nodded diplomatically, not really waiting for her to reply. For the first time in a long while, he felt a small sense of anxiety flitting around in his stomach and was unsure of what to say. He didn't want to compromise their situation in any way so he took an educated guess and continued delicately. "Mademoiselle." He began, back to facing the water. "As you said so yourself, we have only met a mere four times." Isabelle cringed inwardly. So he didn't love her after all. "And yet," He paused, looking out at the other bridged stretching across the river. "After our last meeting I experienced a certain..." He stopped, trying to think of the right word for the feeling he had experienced after their last meeting. "A certain...experience for lack of a better term." She couldn't stop herself from rolling his eyes when he wasn't watching her. Experienced and certain experience? Only he could say something like that and find it a suitable answer. Why had she expected a straightforward answer with him?

"I understand, Monsieur." She replied, turning to leave. "Do not feel a need to express your feelings. I should never have spoken." He frowned and turned to watch her try and leave. Why must he have these feeling about her? They had to make everything more difficult than it needed to be.

"Mademoiselle." He stepped forward and she turned back, a look of mild surprise on her face. "You misunderstood me." As she so often did, he sighed. "What I meant to say was...what I mean to say is..." Isabelle took a small step forward until she stood in close proximity to him. Enjolras sighed and looked at her. Her beautiful green eyes were filled with hope as she gazed at him while he tried to decide what to say next. He had never met another who had made him fumble over his words and he found it rather off putting and distracting. Why must she have this effect on him, he wondered. Why did love have to have so many unnecessary side effects? He tried to talk again but the words just wouldn't come to him then an idea struck him. If he could not find the right words to tell of his affection...perhaps there was a way to show it. He reached forward hesitantly and took her small, gloved hand in his. She looked down in alarm but did nothing to stop him and instead looked back up at him, a smile forming on her lips. He knew what he was doing would be frowned upon but didn't know quite what else to do. He took a step closer to her and went on. Affairs of the heart were not his strong point but he had a vague idea of what he should do. "Mademoiselle...Isabelle." He said quietly, looking down at her and she blinked. Was this truly happening? She asked herself. It all seemed too perfect to be real. What they were doing was outrageous but she wasn't bothered right then. She was too caught up in the moment to care about what other people would have thought. "I... I believe that...I..." He moved to where he was whispering in her ear and spoke the words a part of him had been yearning to say for what he realized then had been weeks. The wind blew through once again, swishing leaves, flowers and other artifacts around the river making it impossible for anyone other than Isabelle to hear the words that were whispered to her next. She would never repeat what she was said to her, but it was in those precious few seconds that she felt the first true happiness she had ever felt and ever would feel. It was these words she would always remember and would comfort her through whatever hardships she had not yet faced. It was in those few seconds that the feeling she had felt when she had realized her love for Enjolras grew inside of her and she knew it could never leave her. Now that she knew.

Enjolras moved back from her face and looked at her hesitantly. She had closed her green eyes but she now opened them, looking straight into his blue ones. They smiled, embarrassed and looked at her hand still enclosed in his and her smile widened. She was happier than she ever had been and thought that nothing could ever end that happiness.

"Will I see you again soon?" Isabelle asked as Enjolras helped her into the carriage.

"Yes. Soon I should hope." Enjolras replied as he closed the door. She placed her hands over the edge of the window frame and leaned forward. "I'll send another letter with our next meeting."

"Thank you." Isabelle smiled and repositioned herself. "Please make it soon... although I know you are a very busy man."

"I'm sure we'll be able to arrange something." He said in his usual brisk manner. She have a small smile and Enjolras nodded to the carriage driver who flicked his reins and the carriage jolted forward and began moving away. Isabelle poked her head out of the small window and watched until Enjolras was no longer in sight as he watched her. When she could no longer see him, she sat back and couldn't suppress a giggle. She hoped they could meet again soon as she longed to see him again already and she knew that after a day or so she would want to leave her uncle's house. She knew she wanted to see him again but she also wanted him to do his work. One of the main reasons she felt the way she did was because of his love and devotion to his work. She didn't want him to take time away from his work to be with her as he was working towards a larger cause and she was only a distraction. She sat back and smiled to herself. Nothing could ruin her day, she was sure of it.

"Miss?" Isabelle awoke to hear tapping on her door. She rubbed her eyes and sat up.

"Come in, Sophie." She said and Sophie opened the door and came in.

"Monsieur and Madam Martin have a visitor they'd like you to meet." She started and Sophie picked up annoyance in her voice like she's already had too much for one day. "I have been told come get you dressed." Isabelle rolled over and sighed.

"Not now, please." Turning away from her. "I will come down later." Sophie sighed, crossing to her wardrobe and taking out some clothes.

"Madam Martin told me you would say that and told me to tell you to get up anyway. Apparently," She snorted to herself. "It's an urgent matter."

Isabelle sighed exasperatedly and sat up again.

"What can be so important?!" She crossed her arms, her hair falling loosely around her shoulders and Sophie sighed.

"I don't know all that much about it, miss. Only that I'm supposed to get you downstairs." Isabelle let out an annoyed sound and threw her covers off. She stood and turned back to Sophie to see her holding a dress.

"I do not care who this visitor... but I am certainly not wearing that." Isabelle nodded to the dress in Sophie's hands and put her own on her hips. Sophie looked down at the dress and shrugged.

"I don't blame you, miss. I think it's hideous... but your aunt asked you to wear it." Isabelle sighed angrily and removed her nightgown.

"My aunt seems to be asking for a lot of things this morning." She exhaled and made an unsatisfied face but she moved forward and allowed Sophie to help her on with the dress. She had only worn it once before and it was a dress reserved for very special occasions. Whoever this visitor was, he must be very important. Isabelle sat restlessly in the seat in front of her mirror and allowed Sophie to tend to her hair. "So, you have no idea who this person is?" Sophie shook her head.

"No idea, miss. Only that he came here this morning with your to see your uncle and your aunt seems very happy he's here."

"Is he family?" Isabelle asked and Sophie continued as she finished pinning up a curl of her hair with a ribbon which matched her dress.

"A distant cousin I believe, miss." A sudden thought struck Isabelle but she shook her head to shoo it away.

"Well, I suppose we have kept them waiting long enough." Isabelle sighed, standing and clipping a necklace together as she did. She slipped on some earrings and turned, looking at herself in the mirror.

"You did a good job, Sophie." She examined herself. "I can hardly recognize myself." Indeed she couldn't. She looked completely different and she could not decide whether she liked it or not. She turned back to Sophie and breathed in deeply. "Here I go." She smiled and walked to the door.

"Isabelle! Finally!" Her aunt greeted her as she walked down the stairs and kissed her on the cheek, taking her hands in hers. "You look wonderful, darling." She took a step back and turned to the others in the room. Her uncle smiled at her and looked back to the other man who was with him. The man had to be in his mid forties, with graying hair and a fat face. He was sitting but Isabelle could tell he was moderately tall with stubby legs and a wide stomach. Isabelle had to stop herself from raising her eyebrows and turning up her nose. He may have been handsome when he was younger... but now he was old and had obviously eaten too much than was good for him. "Isabelle..." She aunt led her forward until she stood in front of their visitor. "This is your cousin. Monsieur Henri Bernard." Isabelle bowed her head and Henri stood.

"An honour to finally meet you, Mademoiselle Isabelle." He reached forward, taking her hand and kissing it.


	8. Chapter 8

Isabelle nodded politely, pulling her hand back and wiping it on her dress. Who does he think he is? She thought to herself. She could tell by his manner that he thought himself irresistible but she begged to differ.

"Pleased to meet you, Monsieur." Isabelle took a step back and smiled awkwardly looking back to her aunt trying to mentally ask what was happening.

"Monsieur Henri has a large estate in the country." Her aunt said breathlessly to Isabelle, pushing her forward.

"How nice." She nodded and turned back to her aunt widening her eyes in distress. What is going on? She asked herself. Her aunt pushed her forward and into one of the armchairs by the fireplace, forcing her to face her "cousin". Monsieur Henri, or whoever he was, sat down in the seat opposite her and smiled at her. He didn't achieve quite the effect he was going for and instead of seeming friendly, he made Isabelle seem uneasy and quite disgusted.

"Maid!" He turned and called towards the door. An old maid opened to door and peeped round the door. "Bring something to eat." The maid nodded and closed the door.

After the maid left, they passed a few minutes in awkward silence trying to think of something to start conversation. The silence was perfect for Isabelle, she didn't feel like talking anyway but it was killing her aunt. Naturally, the reason he had been invited to the house was as a prospective husband for Isabelle. Her husband, Isabelle's uncle, had been corresponding almost daily with Monsieur Henri and had agreed that it was a good match. Both came from good families and the match would be a prosperous one. There was only one problem: Isabelle. If these two were going to be married, Isabelle's aunt thought to herself, then Isabelle has to co-operate. She drummed her fingers on the table, already scheming a vague plan in the silence.

"If you will all excuse me." Isabelle's uncle stood slowly. "I have some letters of business to write." He nodded politely and left the room and Isabelle, thinking quickly, also stood. She had no intention of staying a room with this "cousin" of hers and her aunt.

"I am not feeling quite myself, aunt. I think I should go and..."

"You will stay here and talk to Monsieur Henri." He aunt narrowed her eyes and watched her menacingly back into her armchair. Isabelle sighed. It had been worth a go. She chanced a look at the man opposite her and saw that he was smiling at her and not moving his eyes. She looked away quickly and turned to the door as the old lady returned with a tray. She set down her tray on the table and handed around their cups.

"Just how you like it, miss." She nodded at Isabelle, smiling weakly and looked over at Monsieur Henri as he turned away. Isabelle raised her eyebrows at the look but covered it up by taking a sip from her cup and looking down at the ground. Her aunt coughed awkwardly after a few more seconds of silence but then piped up,

"Isabelle, do you not want to know about Monsieur Henri's estate?" She motioned towards the his seat and Isabelle sighed irritably setting down her cup and turning to him.

"Very well." She positioned herself more comfortable, knowing this would probably take a while. "What is it like?." She smiled as kindly as she could whilst picking her own cup back up and leaning back in her seat. This was ridiculous. She didn't know why she had to entertain someone she had never known for the pleasure of her aunt but she wasn't liking it. Not in the slightest.

"Have you ever been to the country?" Monsieur Henri asked politely, taking a sip from his drink. Isabelle shook her head.

"Not really. I traveled through it once but never stopped." She finished her drink and set her cup down on her tray. He nodded and continued.

"I have a beautiful house, given to me by my father in a wonderful location." He continued and Isabelle smiled. Good for you, she thought to herself. But be smug about it somewhere else. "There is only one problem with it."

"Oh?" Isabelle fixed the position of her dress and didn't look up. "You made it sound perfect."

"Oh yes. It's a wonderful location and has almost anything anyone could want. It has spacious gardens, lots of rooms, beautiful places for entertaining and plenty of servants to tend to your every need."

"Then what is to be wrong with it. You sound very happy with it." Isabelle said, tiring of his talk.

"Only one thing." He paused, causing her to look up in confusion to see if he was continuing. "Only one problem in that it's terribly lonely at times and I'd love to have someone to share it with." Isabelle's aunt gasped. It was early in their conversation but it gave Isabelle time to think about his proposal. Although it wasn't official yet, he had made a correct move in Isabelle's aunt's eyes. However, Isabelle's eyes widened in alarm and her head shot up.

"Oh... really?" This could not be happening. This was absurd, she had to leave. She couldn't bear to be in that room any longer with that man. She stood awkwardly and the other two looked at her in surprise.

"Something wrong, dear?" Her aunt asked, placing her cup down and looking up at her. She couldn't just leave now even if she was looking sick. "You have gone slightly paler than usual." Isabelle swallowed and look down on her.

"Excuse me." She said, sitting back down. "I do not know what came over me." She repositioned herself and thought hard. This could not be happening. Not now, not after what had happened just the day before. She shook her head. She was jumping to conclusions, she was acting too jumpy for her own good. Trust her aunt and uncle to have been doing this behind her back. Why must she be married now? She had plenty of years left and she didn't see why everything had to be rushed. She should have known that the only reason her cousin had now showed up was for her to be married off to. Her head rose up slowly as a thought struck her. What should she tell Enjolras? She loved him, and he knew it so what was she to do? She rubbed her eyes and thought hard. Maybe she was overreacting... but she had to tell him something. Was it really necessary? She asked herself. They had only met once and she was jumping to conclusions. She shook her head and climbed the stairs slowly. She needed time to think but she had made her choice for right then. She would say nothing. She needed more time to think. And, she looked back through the door she had just come through. She needed time away from this "cousin" of hers.

After the had finished their drinks, Isabelle had asked to leave. Her aunt saw nothing wrong with the notion of her leaving as she had broken the ice with her cousin and now had time to go and think on his position. Her aunt watched her leave then turned back to her nephew unsteadily.

"Do not worry about her." She set down her cup. "She is a sickly thing and will need time to think." Monsieur Henri also set down his cup angrily and placed his hands together in front of him.

"You told me she was ready for marriage and yet she is still like a child." Her aunt swallowed nervously.

"I admit, the idea of marriage is not prominent in her mind yet but given time and your... presence, I'm sure all will be worked out." Henri stood and turned to the door.

"Excuse me, madam. I have business in the city but shall return for dinner." He nodded politely and left the house for the day.

In the aunt's mind, dinner was a disaster. She was determined for Isabelle to start having feelings for her distant cousin by the end of the night but for some reason she was distracted and hardly talked to him the whole night. She had asked the maids to arrange the table to they were next to each other and a decent distance away from her so she could hear what they were saying but they could feel secret and safe at the same time. All except Isabelle arrived downstairs, at seven, in their dinner clothes ready for food. She, however, arrived five minutes late and with her clothes disheveled. It looked as though she had forgotten about dinner and hurried to get ready. She walked to her seat and her cousin shooed one of the servants away so he could settle her into her seat, pulling it out and pushing it back in.

"Thank you." She smiled and unfolded her napkin. Let's get this over with, she thought to herself. She placed her napkin on her lap and sat back as a servant places the first course in front of her, a light soup. She picked up her spoon and took a sip of the soup. She was more tired and annoyed than hungry and didn't feel like eating. However, she was forced to sit down to dinner with this.. man. She took another sip of the soup, which was delicious, and looked out the window. There was a large tree right outside but through the branches of the trees, she could look out and see the stars.

"Are you a stargazer, Mademoiselle?" Monsieur Henri asked, sipping his soup. She shrugged.

"Occasionally." She smiled to herself, remembering how bright the stars had been when she had been with Enjolras.

"They're astonishingly bright from my house in the country." He said, finishing his soup and wiping his mouth. Does everything have to come back to his house? Isabelle asked herself. Can't he talk about anything else.

"What kind of business are you in Monsieur?" She asked, setting down her spoon, not hungry at all anymore.

"Nothing you would understand or should worry you young head about." He smiled smugly as if he were the smartest person in the world and Isabelle raised her eyes in surprise, snorting. You would be surprised, she thought angrily to herself. She drummed her fingers on the table and tried to think of something else to say. She may as well make conversation with this man as not to bored out of her mind whilst eating.

"So, Mademoiselle," He sat back in his chair, waiting for the next course. "Have you been long in Paris. Your uncle told me you had moved recently." She nodded and fidgeted with her dress, not really paying attention.

"Yes. I was in school in Switzerland then in London and now..." She looked around at the house almost distastefully. "... and now here."

"That is quite a lot of traveling for a young woman." Her cousin replied, allowing the maid to take his bowl and set down the first course. "You must be glad to be back in Paris with your aunt and uncle." She shrugged.

"I enjoyed my travels and would enjoy going back some time." She picked at her food as she replied.

"I've never enjoyed traveling far from my estate." Isabelle sighed and looked down at her plate. Did every conversation have to come back to that? "The people's ideas far from my home stray from mine too much for us to get along. And I can't make them see reason." He looked down at his food and continued eating as if he was always in the right. She exhaled and wiped her mouth on her crisp, white napkin.

"Which ideas would these be, Monsieur?" She asked and he replied with a snort.

"Political ones, naturally."

"Oh, of course." She raised her eyebrows and set down her napkin. "And what sort of idea would these be?" He laughed out loud and Isabelle's aunt turned smiling, thinking everything was going well. In reality, every second more she spent with this man, the more Isabelle found him despicable.

"All of these young people, with their revolutionary ideas." He continued laughing and she frowned. "Thank goodness you, like your uncle are in the right and with the king." He winked and took a sip from his wine. She chuckled to herself at how wrong he was about her. She wanted to tell him so but thought it would be better to keep her ideas to herself and ignore what he had said. She too took a sip of her wine and looked around at her aunt and uncle. Her uncle had her eyes on her plate but her aunt and almost turned around the whole way in her seat and Isabelle guessed it was so she could hear herself and her cousin talking.

The rest of the night passed uneventfully. After dinner, they retired to the lounge and as the men sipped there after dinner wine, Isabelle's aunt turned to her.

"So what do you think of Monsieur Henri?" She asked, leaning forward feeling intrigued. Isabelle shook her head and smiled.

"I try not to aunt." Her aunt backed up in surprise.

"And just what is that supposed to be?" She said sternly looking between her and her cousin.

"It means I do not wish to think of him and quite frankly..." She too looked at her cousin who was talking to her uncle. "...do not think too highly of him." She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and looked out the window, propping up her elbow on the arm of her chair and setting her chin of her open hand. Her aunt scoffed,.

"You always were a headstrong, judgmental girl. You ought to talk to him more. He's a good man, after all." Isabelle shook her head but remained calm. She couldn't expect her aunt to fully understand her feelings after knowing so little about her.

"I will say nothing more on the subject." Isabelle replied, coolly but she could tell her aunt had plenty more to say. Thankfully, she remained silent until she piped up,

"Isabelle? Why don't you play for us? It's been so long since I heard you sing. You always did have such a sweet voice." Isabelle stuttered and looked back to her. Yes, she supposed it was customary for women of her age to entertain guests by playing and singing but why here and now?

"I am sure no one else would care to hear me sing, and it has been so long I do not think I..."

"Oh why not, Isabelle? You may as well." Isabelle looked between her aunt and uncle who had just spoken, then stood. She didn't have much choice and she wasn't in the mood for another argument. She made her way over to the large piano and sat down on the stool. She ran her fingers over the keys but nothing familiar came to her in the way of notes. She looked out at her audience and raised her eyebrows. She saw her cousin take a sip of his wine and sit back, not taking his eyes off her. Good lord, she thought to herself. This was going to be a long night.

"Got a letter for you, miss." Sophie held it out and Isabelle's head snapped round. She had been standing by her window, looking down into the street to see if any letter would be arriving but she had apparently missed whoever had delivered this one. She almost ran over to Isabelle and snatched the letter. Sophie sighed and handed over the letter, deciding not to charge for its delivery. "Call if you need anything else, miss." She eyed Isabelle, knowing she probably would.

"Thank you, Sophie." She smiled, bursting with excitement already tearing the seal off the letter and turning it around to read. She moved her head from side to side, muttering it's words under her breath. She grinned, naturally excited to be seeing Enjolras again. She crossed to her wardrobe and choose another shawl, then moved to her door. She hurried down the stairs, clutching the letter in her hand and looking around for Sophie. When she saw her she called out to her.

"Sophie, tell Monsieur Ager to get the carriage ready, please." She took her gloves from another one of the servants to rushed forward to hand her her gloves. She nodded in thanks and moved forward as the servant prepared to open the door.

"Where do you think you are going, Isabelle?" Her aunt appeared, coming out from the living room and Isabelle moved towards her and kissed her on the cheek.

"I am just going out." She smiled breathlessly. "I will be back before dinner, I promise." She took one step the other way but was called back by her aunt.

"Oh no you're not, Isabelle. You are going to stay here and entertain your cousin."

"But I already made plans..." Isabelle tried to protest but Isabelle motioned for one of the servants to some forward and take Isabelle's shawl and gloves. Isabelle turned around, trying to say something but her aunt took her hand and lead her forward.

"You need to start socializing with people of your class, Isabelle." Her aunt said sternly, interlocking their arms. "You need to start thinking about the future." She turned to her as they stood outside the door and looked her straight in the eyes. "You are not a child anymore, Isabelle." She put a kind, old hand on Isabelle's chin. "You are turning into a beautiful young woman and should have a family of your own by now." Isabelle sighed.

"Please aunt. Not now." She begged. She wanted to see Enjolras more than anything in the world at the moment and longed to talk with him once again and feel at peace. Her aunt snorted.

"I am sorry, Isabelle. But your cousin is more important." I beg to differ, Isabelle thought. What would she tell Enjolras? She bit her lip and looked at the door. This was absurd! She should be allowed to see who she pleased, when she pleased.

"And as an extra precaution." Her aunt narrowed her eyes. "Tell Ager not to let Mademoiselle Isabelle use the carriage," She turned back to Isabelle and shook her head. "For the rest of the week." Isabelle's eyes widened.

"That is unnecessary!" She looked her aunt straight in the eyes. "That's ridiculous. You cannot confine me to the house!" Her aunt raised her eyebrows in a sort of way that made Isabelle lean back on her heels and remain silent. A plan was already forming in her mind but how was she to apologize to Enjolras? She threw one more angry look at her aunt then pushed open the living room doors.

"Ah, Isabelle." Her cousin stood. "How utterly kind of you to grace us with your presence."


End file.
